Return Ace
by Ayane Selznick
Summary: She was never this shy, never this quiet, never this distant, then again, what does he know about her?
1. The Fading and the Changing

**Return Ace**

**Author:**_ Ayane Selznick_

**Beta: **_fantasize.dream._

**Genre**: Drama/Romance

**Summary**: She was never this shy, never this quiet, never this distant, then again, what does he know about her?

**Pairings**: Ryoma Echizen & Sakuno Ryuuzaki

**Author's Note**: This is the first PoT fanfic I've ever written.

**Timeline**: Three years after the series

**STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLIED**

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**I. The Fading and the Changing**

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Echizen Ryoma, fifteen years of age, had conquered the U.S. and Australian Open. He had never neglected his studies. To prove it he chose a school where he was certain that his old pals were in – Seishun High. Now entering as a freshman once more, in a different world where he would meet subtle changes and pay heed to small and delicate things. Nonetheless, he knew that this time, his life would not only revolve around Tennis. There's always more to life.

He arrived at Seishun High School on foot. There was not much of a change in location since Seishun high was right next to Seishun Middle School. The only difference he knew was that he was about to enter a different environment where students were taller, nastier and things were more serious. It was not like he did not already have a career ready for him, but he knew that he must focus on something else that would aid in his future. Many people told him to become pro in tennis, and it sometimes irked him that people only knew him because of tennis. In his opinion, he felt that he only knew about tennis.

_I'll show them._

The ever cocky and competitive teenager thought while he walked towards the tennis courts. It was funny as how he promised that he'd show them that tennis was not only one thing he knew when he was certainly joining the Tennis Club. His fellow friends were there too, Ryoma reasoned.

"Everybody concentrate!"

"Yes sir!"

"Seishun High!"

"FIGHT-O!"

_That sounds so eerily familiar. _He smirked as he strode his way towards the courts. The members were running laps around the courts. He searched for the student who had ordered the laps but before he could set his eyes on him, a heavy slap resounded in his ears and a stinging pain from his back was all he felt.

He was pushed by someone from behind, but he was able to avoid a fall face first to the ground due to his reflexes. He seethed angrily, "What the--!"

"ECHIZEN!"

Ryoma's eyes widened for a second when he heard that oh-so extremely loud yet familiar voice. Before he knew it, he was caged into a headlock.

"It's really good to have you here, really good!"

"_Ittaissuyo_ (that hurts), Momo-senpai." He grumbled but felt nostalgic at the same time. How he missed being the center of attention as the youngest from the circle of regulars.

Momoshiro Takeshi, Momo-senpai or Momo-chan for short, removed himself from head locking his _kouhai_ (lowerclassmen) and noticed something.

"You're not wearing your cap, eh?"

Ryoma turned around to face his _senpai_ (upperclassmen) and gave him a smirk.

"Hmm. Momo-senpai easily forgets that I rarely wear my cap off the courts."

Momo's right hand flew behind his neck. He started scratching it, embarrassed at how easily he forgot. He laughed whole-heartedly before he spoke again.

"Well, you've certainly gotten tall, aren't you?" He placed his palm on Ryoma's head and then pointed to his own chin with the same hand.

"Wow, look at that. You've gotten really tall!"

Instead of having a proud gleam in the eye, Ryoma frowned. It wasn't too long ago when he last saw Momoshiro right? He was sure that Momoshiro had seen him grow taller.

"When was the last time we met, Momo-senpai?" Feeling doubtful, he certainly was a straightforward person for inquiring.

Momoshiro looked back at his _kouhai_ with raised brows before he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Hmm… when was it huh? Hmm…"

Ryoma rolled his eyes. When you dealt with Momoshiro and his memory bank you had to be patient for an answer. Sighing, he looked over the courts to watch the Tennis members stop in front of a regular. By looking at the person's height and hairstyle, Ryoma had no doubt about the person.

_So the Fukubuchou (Vice-captain) is now a Buchou (Captain)? Hmm…_

"Ahh!"

Ryoma was brought back to his conversation when Momoshiro finally remembered their last encounter.

"It has been two years and a half, yeah two years and a half," He beamed at his buddy before continuing, "Remember? During the mid-year of your junior year you were called again for another tournament abroad. Then as far as I know you only came back when you're in senior year. My, why did you take so long in that tournament anyway?"

Ryoma pouted, unwilling to remember the reasons behind his extended absence. Besides, would it do any good if he shared how frustrated it became when he was mobbed by the media after he won the tournament? He was also offered with several endorsements, too. He was so irritated by them that he even told his parents that he wanted nothing from except competing in Tennis tournaments. He didn't need exposure or anything. Just Tennis—

—Oh great. Didn't he want to show his friends that Tennis was not the only thing in his life? Such contradiction.

"It doesn't matter." Ryoma changed the topic quickly. "Is Oishi-senpai the Buchou?"

Momoshiro looked at the courts before responding.

"Nope. Tezuka-buchou had to skip morning practice for a meeting." Momoshiro grinned widely. "Well this surely feels nostalgic. The super freshman arrives once again!" And then he laughed as loud as he could.

"Che (tsk)…"

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When Momoshiro walked him to the courts and loudly announced his arrival, all the members of the Tennis Club threw their ears and eyes on them. Apparently, everyone in the team knew Echizen Ryoma and his victories in Tennis competitions. Some members even entered the Tennis Club because they were inspired by Ryoma.

His friends from his middle school days welcomed him with bright faces and yells like "OCHIBI!" and "ECHIZEN!" Of course it wouldn't be completed if his hyperactive senpai didn't try to hug him to death. Even in high school, Eiji-senpai hadn't changed the way he treated his _kouhai_. Next to him was Oishi-senpai who was almost near to tears when he approached the freshman. He started asking him how he was and Ryoma just answered him nicely.

Inui-senpai never really changed either. He still held a green notebook that has loads of Tennis Data (or out of Tennis related stuff). He was dropping mathematical statements again and a new threat of his new concoction. Kaidoh-senpai was behind Inui-senpai as he gave a nod to Ryoma (a man of few words like Tezuka).

Lastly, Fuji smiled and nodded at him. Before Ryoma could ask about Kawamura, Fuji told him that Kawamura had started focusing on his father's sushi bar. Ryoma remembered that Kawamura-senpai mentioned to them that the Nationals would be his last game. Ryoma maintained his cool façade though he felt sad when he found out that they were missing a friend. Fuji-senpai added that Kawamura had entered Seishun High so they could still see him regularly.

They talked for a few minutes, allowing Oishi to let their members rest. They asked him about his competition, his life in general, and told him a few stories. Ryoma felt like he had missed a lot of things but he was also glad because he was finally reunited with his seniors.

During the years when he was abroad, Ryoma learned the art of observing society and was able to finally pinpoint few changes here and there. For example, Momo and Kaidoh finally stopped arguing like brats. Their arguments would likely start with a spark of sharp tongues and smirks and then glares…that's all. No more "wanna fight?" or direct insults. At least they've matured.

Then Ryoma looked at Eiji-senpai while the latter started talking about girls. Ryoma never actually thought that Eiji would be so casual when talking about girls, at least he wasn't telling stories about his favorite toothbrush or the fish at his favorite pet shop. His topics had reached the next level. Next to Eiji was Oishi-senpai. He was giving advices per usual, to Eiji. Gentle as he had always been but his super motherly concern finally vanished. That only proved that he's growing into a responsible and full-blooded man.

Ryoma had yet to find out if Inui-senpai, Fuji-senpai and Tezuka-buchou had changed because Oishi announced dismissal; the first bell would come near. Oishi told Ryoma that he could sign up during afternoon practice and that Tezuka would be glad to see him. Ryoma took his leave with a nod as he proceeded into the building.

Walking quietly, he observed every student when he felt a familiar aura walking behind him. He blinked once before he decided to look over his shoulder.

And there, the battle in his memory began.

She was walking gracefully towards him. Her hands were delicate, holding her bag. A heart shaped face, thanks to her hair which framed her cheeks. Her auburn hair, even now, was long and probably reaching her hips but it wasn't tied in a pair of pigtails or braids—it was loose. And then her eyes, the same color as her hair, used to have a cheerful yet shy sparkle. Now her eyes were blank and dead.

Ryoma thought he had mistaken her for someone else; he was looking for signature elements in her to help his memory. When she finally stopped walking he noticed that she was looking back at him. Ryoma thought that it only proved that they knew each other. He only forgot her name.

Before he opened his mouth for a direct inquiry, the girl spoke. "Ryoma-kun."

His eyes widened when she spoke his name. His brows furrowed together as if scrutinizing her more. His golden eyes remained fixed on her face as he tried to remember her name.

The girl noticed his silence. Fortunately, she decided to help him before he tormented his mind further.

"It's me, Ryuuzaki Sakuno."

Oh.

Ryoma blinked twice. The girl with wobbly hips, sucked at Tennis, wore pigtails and had a noisy best friend. She was the one he often saved. She was Coach Ryuuzaki's granddaughter.

Yeah.

It was her.

But her eyes were different from that time. Her eyes were once unable to look him in the eyes, but she was able to today. Other than that, those sparkles… those bright sparks on her eyes. They were gone.

He wondered what happened to them.

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They both entered their classroom, finding out that they were going to be classmates for a year. Ryoma was searching for cheerful reactions from her which she usually had in middle school, but none of it came even when she smiled back at him. Her smile did not even reach her eyes. It was dull. Plain. A fake.

Ryoma never really cared for those people around him. Perhaps he had given them some thoughts but he had never showed them. But what he was seeing today, in front of him, set off a strange curiosity.

What happened to Ryuuzaki Sakuno?

He watched her find her seat amongst the circle of students. Some faces were old, most were new and yet Sakuno did not speak to anyone other than Ryoma. Ryoma remembered that they had once become classmates; it was in their senior year and from that short span of time, he had known her habits inside the classroom.

Normally, she'd start talking with girls or Tomoka, her noisy best friend, which by the way was no where inside the room. Her voice was meek and quiet while her best friend was her ultimate opposite – scandalous and loud. Sometimes Kachiro, Katsuo and Horio would interrupt and Sakuno would never hesitate to speak to them. But whenever Ryoma came in their conversation she would start blushing and stuttering. She always did that when he was around and Ryoma always thought that it was strange.

It was rare of her to talk fluently with him. On occasions like when he was leaving for his first tournament in U.S. Open, or when he was late and Horio became his substitute figure to save the team, she always seemed so nervous and shy. Today, when he saw her and her new image, he doubted if she was really Ryuuzaki Sakuno. She spoke fluently and was able to look at his eyes. It was really some change.

When he found his chair by the window, he put down his things and sat down quietly. But even before he could sit down to rest he was mobbed by girls and boys alike. He forgot that everybody in Japan knew his face.

_This is the time where I need that noisy girl, Horio, Kachiro and Katsuo to fend them off._

Sad to say, all the names he mentioned entered a different school.

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During lunch break, Ryoma decided to pay a visit to the courts. He was on his way out when a passing thought crossed his mind. He looked back at the direction where Sakuno was sitting during class only to find the seat empty. He frowned. After pursing his lips, he quietly left.

He spotted Kaidoh and Momoshiro on their way to cafeteria but Ryoma didn't give his presence as he trudged his way silently to the courts. He arrived there and saw some members taking extra training. He remembered that he never trained during lunch; all he did was go up on the rooftop to either sleep or snag lunch treats from Sakuno or Tomoka.

"Reminiscing the old days?"

Ryoma's shoulders' tensed. His eyes narrowed.

"Fuji-senpai." _Popping out of nowhere to surprise everyone. He never changed._ Ryoma turned around to face him and gave his senpai and curt nod.

Fuji smiled at him as always, before standing beside him. "We all thought that you wouldn't come back after the Nationals. You seem to be enjoying Tennis everywhere."

Ryoma did not say anything. He had attended many invitational tournaments and official matches everywhere but he certainly did not enjoy the threatening crowd mobbing his way before and after matches. It was excruciating.

Fuji continued without a pause.

"Your batch mates must've started searching their own dreams as well. They helped you after we left Seigaku but they certainly have their eyes on something else. Don't you think so?"

Ryoma really didn't know what Horio, Kachiro and Katsuo were doing right now. He only thought that they liked Tennis. He remembered Horio being proud of his two years of Tennis experience during their freshman days. Because of his help and guidance when he became the captain, Horio learned discipline, respect and techniques. They were even used during tournaments.

But as always, Ryoma was oblivious of what his friends were aiming at from the beginning. He never cared anyway, even until now. "Whatever." Was all Ryoma could say.

Ryoma need not look back at his senpai to know his reaction. Fuji only smirked before he started walking away.

"We're glad you're back, Echizen."

Ryoma looked over his shoulder and watched his senpai's retreating back towards the building.

_Yeah. Glad I'm home._

_To be continued…_

**Author's Note: **YATTA! Finally a start for a multi-chapter story for PoT! Mah, I really don't find any confidence with my grammar, so if you'd like to help, as a beta-reader of this story, I'd appreciate it :D Well, see you on next chapters!

**Published: **07/19/07  
**Edited**: 08/18/07 by _fantasize.dream._

Please **Read** and **Review**.


	2. Empty Smiles

**Return Ace**

**Author: **_Ayane Selznick  
_**Beta**: _fantasize.dream._

**Author's Note: **Please **Read** and **Review**.

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**II. Empty Smiles**

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Afternoon practice brought back memories as Tezuka-buchou had a remake of "running laps" accompanied with Inui's toxic concoction. It was even harder because both of them had doubled the numbers and penalties. Eiji concluded that it must have been a welcome present for Echizen. The Tennis Club never had practices this extreme except for official tournaments. Everybody was certainly having a tough time.

The once-called rookie who conquered official tournaments overseas had trained in harder practices than those with the captain's laps and Inui's poisonous mixtures but he had to admit that it was really more fun to train with his senpais rather than training alone. At least, he was not suffering alone. Everybody had to deal with the same pain.

Tomorrow, they would have morning practices in preparation for their inter-school matches. It was that bloody tournament to become regulars. Tezuka-buchou's method never changed because he knew it was all for the best and he believed that it was the right thing to do. Unlike other Tennis clubs they had known back then, Tezuka believed that his method was the most effective way of selecting Regulars and he believed that it was the right thing to do.

Tennis Clubs like Hyotei and Rokkaku had different methods. Hyotei, for instance, dismisses any Regular members who were defeated during an official match. Rokkaku, on the other hand, accepts any Captain and Vice-Captain since they had faith in their coach, although random pointing really did not agree with Ryoma.

Ryoma could have spent an hour or so talking about other club's methods but he was not the type to do all the talking. Moreover, he was not the kind who shared his thoughts openly. Instead he quickly packed his things into his Tennis bag and bid a quick goodbye his senpais.

"Later." He mumbled as he walked his way out from the noisy crowd inside the huge clubhouse.

"Oi! Echizen! Let's eat burgers!"

"Ochibi should stay with us a wee bit longer!"

"Echizen's leaving already?"

Silence was their only response as Echizen Ryoma had already slipped out of sight.

"Why is he in a hurry anyway?"

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_Avoid having time for luxury until I finish all research assignments within the week_

Ryoma kept a fast pace until he knew that he was out of his senpai's hunting range. He started walking naturally while he let the cool spring breeze pass his face. His dark green hair followed the direction of the wind as he traversed under the columns of trees. Ryoma had always loved Nature's tranquility. It helped sooth his mind and calm his body. It was times like this when he could actually relax.

He just got out from the columns of trees when he noticed Sakuno walking towards a bench near the school gates. He knew that back then, she would always walk straight home after school activities or after watching their practice matches.

_Come to think of it, she didn't appear during the afternoon practice._

Ryoma realized that he had unknowingly shortened the distance between them as he stared at her up close. Despite him standing only a small distance away from her, she continued to look at the school with unmoving eyes, showing no sign that she had heard him walk near. Ryoma wondered if she was actually waiting for something to appear over there.

After a long while, he looked up at the large school clock behind him and realized that he had been staring at her longer than he seemed to think and she was still sitting there on the bench completely overlooking his presence. Ryoma began to feel quite ignored; he was not used to having absolutely no attention at all, especially since he usually had overwhelming attention.

"Waiting for someone?"

He took notice of her sharp intake of breath before Sakuno turned her attention to him. But she did not squeak or yell. She just looked at him.

"I'm waiting for _Obaa-chan_ _(Grandmother)_."

_The coach huh? That's still weird._

"Don't you always go home early to prepare dinner?"

Sakuno was surprised that Ryoma still remembered her daily routine.

"_Iie (No, nope)_… I have to go home with her. Together…" Her last words were like a whisper. She looked at the ground to momentarily erase a thought. Ryoma waited for a few seconds before she raised her head again.

"Would you like to sit down?"

Ryoma removed his tennis bag from his shoulder as he quietly sat down beside Sakuno. For a moment he had thought of observing her up close, but she shifted slightly such that Ryoma could only look at her profile, as if she had not wanted him to have a chance of scrutinizing.

"It must be wonderful to decisively conquer the world with your unbelievable talent."

Ryoma blinked his eyes before he stared hard at Sakuno.

When Ryoma did not answer, Sakuno continued. "And know that your friends support you even when you're faraway, fighting alone in that court."

"It's not like I really like it. I do not dislike it either," Sakuno looked at him as he continued, "However, it's not really fun when I only know one thing."

Sakuno tilted her head to one side, unable to figure out what Ryoma was talking about.

"Tennis isn't the only thing in the world, you know."

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The next morning, Sakuno and Coach Sumire left their house to go to school. Coach Sumire looked at her granddaughter while she was starting the engine of her car. Sakuno only made soft noises as she fastened her seatbelt and placed her bag on her lap. After that, she remained silent.

_She hasn't smiled since. I know it's hard for her to cope with what's left._ _But she's a strong girl… a very, very strong girl… _Coach Sumire smiled and looked straight at the road. _She can't be consumed by sadness. She must overcome everything… She has to._

They were near Sakuno's school when Coach Sumire started talking. "Have you been on good terms with Ryoma, huh, Sakuno?"

Sakuno abruptly looked at her grandmother. She was surprised that her grandmother would strike up a conversation that involved Ryoma.

"Why do you ask Obaa-chan?"

Her Obaa-chan smirked. "You two are the only people from those friends you had in Seigaku. I think it'll be nice that you two should be in good terms, right?"

Sakuno continued to stare at her grandmother before she looked at her skirt and completely moved her head away. Nevertheless it wasn't long when they arrived at the entrance of Sakuno's school where Coach Sumire dropped her off. Sakuno left the car and bid her Obaa-chan to take care. When the young Ryuuzaki turned around, she took that moment to compose herself before walking towards the building.

When she was en route however, Momoshiro and Eiji appeared out of nowhere and greeted her with big smiles.

"_Ohayo (Good morning)_ Sakuno-chan!!" Eiji exclaimed as he approached Sakuno.

"Sakuno-chan!! Ohayo!" Momo followed suit by waving both his arms in the air.

She walked towards them and politely greet them back. "Ohayo, Momo-senpai, Eiji-senpai." She tried to smile but her _senpai-tachi_ _(upperclassmen in plural)_ noticed it easily. They already knew when she would really smile. Sakuno also noticed that they were in their jerseys.

"Oh, are you guys going back to the courts?"

Eiji beamed at her before he talked. "But of course! We were just told to go and meet someone in the infirmary and since we're done, we're heading back."

"Oh yeah, I haven't seen you hanging around the courts for a while now. Why don't you come with us?" Momoshiro joined in.

Sakuno gave them an astonished look. "Eh? But… _Anou (Well…)_…"

Eiji and Momo didn't give her a chance to decide when they nonchalantly dragged her to their courts.

"Let's just hurry, Sakuno-chan!"

"Everybody wants to see you too, you know!"

"_Demo…(but…)_"

Nonetheless, she had no choice. When the senpai-tachi said so, she would have to follow.

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Tezuka was currently eying his team as they ran laps around the courts. Inui was nowhere beside him to threaten the team because he was also part of the running squad. Strangely though, everyone still kept their paces up. No one wanted to be left behind, except for other members who had resigned from morning marathon and sprawled their bodies on the ground, panting heavily. The captain could only shake his head and resume watching his team when he heard Eiji and Momo's voice arriving at the courts.

"Sakuno-chan's here everybody!"

"She finally came, nya!"

The regulars, who were still running, looked over to where Momo and Eiji came. They also noticed that Sakuno really came, though panting from all that running.

"There's a 90 percent chance that she was dragged here; a 5 percent chance that she'll visit the courts again…" Inui muttered.

"No mistake about it." Fuji responded.

Ryoma was running with the regulars and eyed Sakuno curiously.

Momo and Eiji talked to Tezuka to tell him that they did as they were told. Tezuka gave them a curt nod before ordering them to run along with the regulars. Momo was about to retaliate that they had ran to the infirmary and back but before he could say anything, Eiji told Momo to just run because Tezuka might just add extra digits. Momo nodded vehemently and in an instant followed the regulars as they ran around the courts.

Sakuno was left beside Tezuka. "Ohayo, Tezuka-buchou."

Tezuka looked at her and nodded. "Ohayo, Ryuuzaki."

The rest of the regulars reached the goal finally and took that moment of rest to talk to their little friend. Even though some of them were out of breath, they managed to smile down at her and show their concern.

"How are you doing, Sakuno-chan? Surely, you aren't neglecting your studies ne?" Oishi said smilingly, looking at her and even touching the top of her head.

"I'm doing well, Oishi-senpai."

Fuji took his water bottle and sipped before he spoke. "Sakuno-chan should play tennis again."

"Oh yeah! You really should!" Eiji came out of nowhere, cupping Sakuno's dainty hands in his. "I'll teach you my acrobatic play if you want to!"

"That would be impossible, Eiji," Inui interrupted while taking out his notebook. "Acrobatics isn't something you'll learn without difficulty. You have to have talent and good physique. She only has a 5 percent chance to gain your ability."

Sakuno could only stare at them as Eiji and Inui started bickering about Inui's ruthlessness with his theories and the impossibility of Eiji's suggestion. It wasn't too long when Momo appeared and stood behind her, giving her a pat on the shoulder. Sakuno looked over her shoulder before she turned around looked up at her senpai.

"Just have fun, Sakuno-chan. You know we're here for you."

Sakuno's eyes started to get teary as she looked up to Momo and to all her senpais surrounding her. When she finally smiled, everybody seemed to smile as well.

"Nya! That's great Sakuno-chan! We missed your smile, you know!"

Momoshiro put a hand under his chin, "Yeah, and we certainly missed the Coach and her torturous training she imposed when we were in Seigaku."

Momoshiro heard sudden snickers from the other Regulars.

"You must've forgotten that you're taking a torturous routine and you are not done with 10 laps, Momoshiro."

Momo's body became frigid. He just nodded at his captain's orders and began running around the courts. On the other hand, Eiji was practically on all fours, creeping his way towards the clubhouse, away from Tezuka's wicked eyes to avoid detection. He was in fact one of the two who had been sent out on errands and had to jog with Momoshiro.

"Kikumaru."

Eiji froze.

"Yes, Tezuka?"

"10 laps."

Eiji turned around with a pout as if he was pleading for a reduction in the number of laps. When Eiji didn't move from his place, Tezuka cleared his throat.

"20."

"HOA! NO!! Just 10!!!"

Eiji dashed across to where Momo was running. The remaining regulars laughed at them before they reached their happy places of rest. Ryoma was standing behind them, eying both Sakuno and Tezuka as they started a conversation in a very low voice in which he had a hard time listening to. One thing was certain, in Ryoma's opinion, their faces were serious.

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The bell for lunch break rang within the campus. Some teachers announced last minute assignments before they let their students flee from classroom for lunch. Ryoma yawned lazily before gazing at the window. He decided that he would just sleep at the rooftop during lunch because his abominable father reduced his sleeping hours after tricking him to do a household chore. He glared the sky when he remembered what happened yesterday before he stood up from his chair, and sluggishly walked towards his choice of destination.

Ryoma opened the rooftop door and was surprised to see that Sakuno was already there standing by the fence, viewing the campus. He sighed inwardly before he trudged his way towards the opposite direction of where the sun was beaming hotly. He tried to examine Sakuno's reaction when he arrived but she did not look back at the door or even notice if somebody arrived.

Ryoma got tired of her nonchalance.

"Did you bring _bentos (lunch boxes)_?"

Once again, Sakuno's shoulders grew tense when she heard his voice. She heaved a sigh before turning around to meet his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Ryoma-kun. I'll bring bento on Monday if you want."

Ryoma stared at her.

"I don't mind." Then he sat on the ground with his back to the wall.

Sakuno nodded at him before she turned around and continued watching the students below. Ryoma didn't know that striking up a conversation would be hard especially since every time he tried it never seemed to last. Awkward silence filled the air once again even though they knew that neither person was very far from the other. Ryoma remembered clearly that back then, every time they had stumbled upon this kind of silence, Sakuno would bravely come up with a strange conversation topic that he would soon turn down with no trouble. But now Sakuno seemed to make such an attempt. Ryoma thought that he might as well take this chance to clear his curious mind.

"It's unusual that you'd stay silent for a long time."

Ryoma noticed her tense figure once again right after he spoke. Since when did she become so easily startled?

He continued, "How about telling me something about you?"

Sakuno smiled a little before she tilted her head to the side even when she still have her back facing Ryoma. "I'm sorry for being blunt, but Ryoma-kun seems very talkative nowadays."

She thought that Ryoma would never care about other people's lives. She thought that he only cared for the opponent's techniques and his tennis-know-how. She even wondered if Ryoma had asked about the lives of his senpai-tachi. She remembered that he never asked them, or his friends, about their lives either. It really was very peculiar.

Ryoma stared lazily at her as he shrugged. "Got tired from being detached from society." But deep inside his mind he knew how strange it came out, especially when he asked people's lives. It was even stranger that he would say that he was tired of being aloof when even now he did not want to have a close relationship with anyone.

Ryoma saw Sakuno nod a little. "So Ryoma-kun picked me to experiment, ne?"

Ryoma almost choked when she mentioned 'experiment'. Truth be told, he hadn't chosen any topic for their particular subject and a person could be chosen for 'experimentation' because it was just immoral. Ryoma felt defeated when Sakuno referred to herself as his 'experiment'. It only meant that he really didn't have any idea about socializing at all.

"Well," Sakuno started with a nervous tone, "I miss Tomo-chan. Her family moved so she had to transfer to another school too. She was the only one who gave me courage and advice for everything." _Mostly advice on how to get close to you… _Sakuno added in her thoughts.

"Kachiro-kun, Katsuo-kun and Horio-kun transferred to different schools, too. They said they won't be left behind searching for their dreams. They said they'll come to senpai-tachi's matches, though." She smiled wistfully. "They would've been happy to know that you're back."

Ryoma put his arms behind his head as his eyes traveled towards the sky in a reminiscing gaze, agreeing in his thoughts as he regarded their friends' probable reactions.

Sakuno continued, "I'm glad that I could see our senpai-tachi, too. I missed them all when they graduated in Seigaku. It just feels so sad every time anyone left…" She sniffed and was shaken. When she felt tears forming in her eyes, she instantly brought her fingers up to wipe her eyes.

"_Stop thinking about this!" Sakuno told herself mentally._

"Oh yeah," She suddenly spoke. "I don't know what I would take up in college. I wonder if… I should become a teacher or something…"

_She's doing that again…_

It didn't take long to know what exactly was wrong with Sakuno. Ryoma knew that she was avoiding a particular topic. He heard her sniff and watched her hand lift to her face - to wipe tears perhaps - and changed the topic. One thing that was certain was that she was absolutely emotional.

Ryoma took a breath before he spoke. "How about becoming a chef or any related cooking course? You're pretty good at it."

Quite frankly, Sakuno thought that she would receive any compliments from Ryoma. Sarcasm seemed like a part of him and hearing something positive from him made her cheeks burn.

"Yeah… that sounds good…"

They were immersed in silence once more when Sakuno's last response echoed with thin air. Ryoma's method of observing her was stranger than he had thought. When he came to school this morning he had thought of her. He thought that she must have been in bad mood yesterday which would explain her depression, but his conclusion was rather inaccurate and had been proven wrong throughout this afternoon conversation.

Ryoma couldn't believe what he was about to admit but he certainly missed the old Ryuuzaki Sakuno.

There was just something in this new Ryuuzaki Sakuno that he couldn't quite comprehend.

-----------------------------------------

Tomorrow would be Saturday, marking the start of his first weekend in Japan. Echizen Ryoma started hitting balls against one of the school's many walls in preparation for interschool tennis matches. Many thought that he was going to take the matches lightly since he had fought against professionals during invitational and official matches overseas. What they didn't know was that Echizen Ryoma had always mentally prepared himself for any matches he participated in because of what their captain had always said: Don't let your guard down.

Momo just got out of his classroom and was on his way to the courts when he passed by Ryoma, who was clad on his usual tennis attire. Momo smirked and started walking coolly towards the freshman.

"It's no fun playing against the wall, Echizen."

When Ryoma didn't respond, Momo decided to stay for a while to watch him. It was still early to change his clothes for afternoon practice.

As he continuously hit the ball with his racquet a sudden thought crossed Ryoma's mind.

"I want you tell me something Momo-senpai."

Momo raised a brow at Ryoma's words. He was beginning to think if this could be one of his kouhai's mind games.

"Like what, Echizen? Girlfriend issues? I'd be willing to share with you what Eiji-senpai got himself into when he tried to ask a girl out." He snickered.

_It's either an act that he's completely innocent or he's being defensive. _Ryoma's brows furrowed at the thought.

"Perhaps it is something you guys know and I don't."

Momo stared hard when he realized that Ryoma found out that something was amiss.

"Well that's brand new. Echizen Ryoma's actually trying to squeeze out gossip from me! Hahaha! Echizen did you eat something weird?" Momo laughed nervously. Ryoma stopped hitting the ball and he could see visibly how his kouhai gripped his racquet tightly around his left hand.

"Would you stop avoiding the topic senpai?"

Momo noticed the sternness of Ryoma's voice. He swallowed his saliva and observed his friend.

"You're acting weird, Echizen. Was there some kind of bizarre experience that made you what you are today? It's not really you to snoop in people's lives you know," Momo was about to stop but he noticed something else. "And your mood swings are terrible. Is something wrong?"

Ryoma shook his head before he turned around to face his old friend. Momo remarked Ryoma's apologetic gaze before the latter stared at his foot.

"_Gomen (sorry)_, senpai." Ryoma realized that it was wrong to force someone to tell him something relatively confidential. "It's just that… there's a nagging feeling that I missed something big and—" His grip on his racquet softened. "—it's making me upset so easily."

Momo, for once, let silence reign as Ryoma tried to push away the negative thought from his mind. Soon, Momo patted his kouhai's head for additional optimism.

"Concentrate on your matches, young man, your senpai-tachi won't go easy on you, you know."

Upon hearing this, Ryoma's trademark smirk appeared on his face. "_Mada mada dane_, senpai."

_To be continued…_

**Author's Note: **Don't ask the impossible people! Just read along and wait for the time when you can finally learn what happened prior to the story. As you can see, the tables had turned: its Ryoma's time to learn socializing and Sakuno's time to be more mature (or more like becoming more emotional than she already was).

Always **Read** and **Review**!


	3. Cause Identified

**Return Ace**

**Author:**_ Ayane Selznick_

**Beta: **_fantasize.dream._

**Author's Note**: Please **Read** and **Review**.

-----------------------------------------

**III. Cause Identified**

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Echizen Ryoma was victorious in obtaining a regular spot two weeks ago after mercilessly defeating three regulars and some members during the inter-school matches. Subsequently, their afternoon practices resumed in preparation for the upcoming official matches. In one particular afternoon, when they were finally dismissed, Eiji suggested that they eat burgers at the usual joint. Momoshiro, Fuji and Inui readily agreed.

Ryoma didn't like the idea of burgers and his senpais together in a joint. With Eiji around, there was bound to be a lot of activity, and Ryoma wanted to have a rest at home. He was on his way out of the clubhouse when someone from behind pulled his collar, nearly choking him.

"Where do you think you're going, Echizen?"

"I'll pass."

Out of nowhere, a pitcher of bubbling purple liquid appeared in front of his face. "Maybe you'll want to try this new mixture that I made yesterday, Echizen. It's called Penal-tea Deluxe Version 3.2."

"…I changed my mind."

Nothing really changed.

-----------------------------------------

Momoshiro, Eiji, Fuji, Inui and Ryoma were walking towards the exit gate of their campus when they heard a familiar voice coming from the other side of the gate.

"You don't enter this campus just to attack an old lady."

_Taka-san!_

Seriousness thoroughly evident in his voice, the gang imagined what he would say if he had a racquet in hand.

When they arrived at the source of the commotion, they found themselves looking at their former Coach sitting on the ground with a heap of papers around her while Kawamura stood protectively in front of her. The offender noticed the bunch of kids standing not far from where he stood and glared at them for interrupting his business. The five tennis players were by her side in an instant, Eiji glaring at the offender.

"Tsk." The offender gave up and ran towards his vehicle.

"Are you okay Coach?" Momo asked worriedly while he helped the old lady get back on her feet.

The remaining five helped pick up their former Coach's papers that were strewn all over the floor.

"It's unusual that you'd all pass by this area." Coach Sumire tried to lighten up the mood right after the surprising episode.

Kawamura glanced at Coach Sumire before glaring at the vehicle that the offending man used to escape from them.

"Do you know him Coach?" Kawamura asked.

Coach Sumire gazed at the same vehicle before she took her papers from Inui, Fuji and Ryoma.

"That's what I'm thinking about. First, he threatens me. Then he attacks me senselessly. He was rude."

Kawamura remembered the conversation he had overheard.

"He was demanding something from you, Coach."

Coach Sumire stared at Kawamura for a moment before sighing.

"Well, whatever he's demanding from me, he won't get it," She brushed off dirt from her back as she continued, "Sorry to have bothered you kids."

After clapping her hands to get rid of the dirt, she placed a hand on Kawamura's shoulder.

"And thank you for defending me."

Kawamura scratched the back of his head shyly as he spoke, "It was nothing Coach. What he did was really wrong."

"Yeah! Elders shouldn't be treated in that way!" Eiji added.

"I'm still a human that needs to be respected regardless of my age, Eiji." Sumire replied amusedly.

Eiji responded with a nervous laugh, and quickly muttered an apology.

"C'mon Coach, we'll accompany you home." Momoshiro offered, smiling proudly.

The old lady raised a brow and smirked. "You just want to have a free ride, idiot."

Though the atmosphere was cheerful and light, Fuji frowned. There was too much information being withheld, and he could not put the bits and pieces he had together.

"Coach, we don't know when he'll come back," Fuji began. "So it's best that we take Momo's advice."

Coach Sumire waved a hand at Fuji. "Fuji, I'm fine, really." She glanced towards Seishun High.

"I'm more worried about Sakuno."

Ryoma gazed towards their school.

"Why would you be worried about Sakuno-chan? She's doing fine. Really, fine." Momoshiro interjected.

Inui fiddled his glassed as he spoke. "There's a 25 percent chance that the man might go after the Coach's granddaughter since his attempt today was unsuccessful. With that in mind, there would be a 91 percent chance that he'll keep an eye on her."

Instead of showing distress, the Coach laughed a little.

"I wasn't thinking like that, Inui. I instructed her to wait for me after school. She must be worried that I'm not there yet."

It was at that moment when Ryoma remembered something. "She used to walk home after school when we were in middle school."

His senpais threw knowing looks at one another, unnoticed by Ryoma. His seniors had promised not to tell.

To end the awful silence and tension reigning in the air, Momo ran and pushed Ryoma towards the campus to find Sakuno.

"We shouldn't make our Coach worry, we shouldn't!" Ryoma was glaring over his shoulder. "C'mon young man, let's get Sakuno-chan before that lecherous man realizes that the Coach has a beautiful granddaughter!"

"Why don't you go with Eiji-senpai?" Ryoma protested.

When he looked back over his shoulder, he saw the serious looks on his senpais' faces, even Eiji had one.

_What do they know that I don't?_

Once Momoshiro and Ryoma were out of earshot, Fuji thought that it was time he satisfied his need for answers.

"Do you know him, Coach?" Fuji inquired.

She stared into those azure eyes. "I don't know that man. But I'm sure that someone asked him to pester me."

"What does he want?"

She shook her head and started walking towards her car. "I'm not sure. I was trying to avoid him when Kawamura came." She placed her papers inside when she opened her car door. "But whatever he wants from me, there's no way I'm giving it to him."

Fuji shut his eyes.

_Of course, she won't tell us the problem._

-----------------------------------------

Ryoma was frustrated.

He asked his senpais about all that commotion, but Momoshiro was too eager to avoid his questions and just told him to walk faster before anything happens to Sakuno. Ryoma detected urgency in his senpai's voice. Since he didn't have any other choice, he went along with his senpai until they reached the campus and immediately saw Sakuno sitting at the usual bench. Strangely enough, he felt this need to finish this ridiculous episode, and so he jogged ahead of his senpai.

"Echizen!"

Sakuno jerked awake from daydreaming when she heard Momoshiro's voice. Her negligence of her surrounding also caused her to yelp in surprise when Ryoma suddenly appeared right in front of her, glaring.

"I think you should start telling me what happened and why is everybody keeping it a secret."

After the initial shock, Sakuno tried to interpret Ryoma's reaction. Despite his nature of refusing any close relationship with anyone, he developed a strong attachment with his senpais, and she was certain that this attachment would belong to his senpais alone. The thought of him actually _caring_ for her had never crossed her mind.

As Sakuno kept silent, Ryoma crossed his arms impatiently.

"Well, are you just going to stare at me?"

"That's not the right thing to do Echizen. We came here to get her home safely." Momoshiro cut in.

Instead of dropping the issue, Ryoma glowered at Momo.

"I'm fed up with your excuses, Momo-senpai. Every time I ask you about it you always change the topic."

His senpai could only remain speechless at Ryoma's outrage. It had never occurred in his mind that Ryoma would act like this despite its irrelevance to tennis. Momo wondered what happened to the stoic and dense Echizen Ryoma.

All of a sudden, Sakuno stood up. "There are no secrets, Ryoma-kun." Her tone was equally stern like his.

"It has nothing to do with you or with anyone." Suddenly realizing that she had lost her composure, she attempted to calm herself.

"It's just that… I don't want to involve—" Sakuno continued meekly.

Ryoma's patience was growing thin for he was unable to grasp the girl's logic. He wanted to know why he could always feel her presence wherever he went. It was making his mind whirl.

"I have no intention of getting involved. But with all these people around me acting with supreme secrecy, I'm getting sick of being left in the dark."

Perplexed at Ryoma's retort, Sakuno didn't know how to explain herself. She did not expect him to be intrigued by the issue but she did understand how he felt – completely unaware of the activities that revolved around him. She felt guilty for her insensitivity and selfishness.

For the second time, Momoshiro broke the heated conversation to back up Sakuno's stand.

"Your stubbornness is getting way out of hand, Echizen. You shouldn't force her to do anything. It's not like you'll understand—"

"How am I supposed to understand when no one's telling me?"

"Then why do you want to know so badly?"

Ryoma froze.

_Why… do I want to know so much?_

_Wait._

_What exactly am I doing?_

He looked at Sakuno, who was near to tears as she stared up at him. Ryoma felt that everything was connected to her and when he tried to wheedle it out from her, she wouldn't tell him. It was not like he wanted to gossip, he just wanted to know why everything had changed so much.

Her attitude, for instance.

Contrary to popular belief, Ryoma is sensitive – especially to those who cared so much about him. It was only natural for him to feel disappointed and irate when people try to block him out.

However, he never intended to show this much.

Sakuno was hoping that Ryoma wouldn't get mad at her for not admitting anything. He wasn't giving any response yet and it made her worry even more.

"Let's go, Ryuuzaki. We'll walk you home."

The coach's granddaughter looked up to him inquisitively. Why would her grandma instruct them to walk her home?

"Did something happen?" She asked warily.

Momoshiro avoided looking straight at Sakuno's eyes and made a quick excuse.

"Well, we saw Coach going to an urgent meeting. She told us to walk you home before six." He hoped he did not sound suspicious.

When Sakuno was about to ask another question, Ryoma suddenly declared, "I'm going home."

-----------------------------------------

As soon as Ryoma arrived home, his noisy father started making fun of him and was insisting to have a match, but Ryoma triumphantly put up with his father's persistence as he trudged his way upstairs. His father started yelling, something along the lines of "I didn't raise a child who's a chicken". Ryoma completely ignored his father's ridiculousness until he got in his room and shut his door. With furrowed brows, he threw his bag on his floor and pushed his body towards the bed. Karupin meowed in reflex but it seemed as though Ryoma didn't hear anything. He rolled around so he was facing his ceiling and stared at it for a long while.

_What the heck am I doing?_

His sudden outburst earlier was still a mystery to him.

Indeed, he was trying to find out the cause of all consecutive incidents which he could easily point out that she was the missing link. Alas, he got rejected. It irritated him. He, who was known to all and sought after by many, was denied merely by one person. He remembered her to be caring. She was always there for him, supporting him behind the courts and would do anything only for him.

And yet, it never occurred to him that there would come a time that Ryuuzaki Sakuno was pushing him away.

It was confusing. It was even astonishing.

In fact, even until now, he felt bothered by her constant melancholy. She tried to mask her emotions for as many times as they conversed but it would never escape under his keen scrutiny. His senpais weren't helping either. They keep hinting him that something was terribly wrong with her and yet they themselves refused to give him a straightforward answer.

How is he supposed to know the truth?

How is he supposed to help?

With finality in his glare towards his ceiling, Ryoma turned to his side and angrily shut his eyes.

_Fine. I won't do anything anymore._

What did he say to himself when he entered high school?

He had forgotten about it.

-----------------------------------------

A few days after that incident, Ryoma and Sakuno met at the gates early in the morning. Sakuno was still feeling guilty about her rebuttals during their conversation. She wanted to apologize for what she did. She was even willing to tell him what had happened in his absence, but only if he decided to ask again. She knew that after that incident, Ryoma would be too angry to ask. Moreover, she was just too shy to utter an apology and too afraid for whatever reaction she would receive.

When they both neared the gates, Sakuno tried to put a smile on her face to greet him. Ryoma however, simply walked past her without giving her a second glance. Sakuno stopped glumly as she stared at Ryoma's retreating back.

_Ryoma-kun…_

-----------------------------------------

The same thing was felt in the Tennis Club.

Even those who weren't even there during that incident could feel Ryoma's coldness from miles away. Some thought that he was in the bad mood, not even if his senpais knew what was going on inside their kouhai's mind. They had all agreed beforehand that no one would mention 'that' to him as requested by Sakuno, but it simply slipped away when they couldn't prohibit themselves from worrying about her well-being. Sakuno became close to them in a short time, especially when she participated in the numerous activities that her grandmother prepared for them for the competition. Both she and her grandmother took care of them until they won in the Nationals. In return, they would take care of her, especially now since she's attending high school and was now further away from her grandmother's watchful eyes.

Some thought that Ryoma would do the same. But, who were they to speak? Ryoma was simply unaware about everything.

To them, Ryoma was still a juvenile.

-----------------------------------------

Ryoma was hitting a ball against a wall when Tezuka passed by.

Being a captain and having extremely sharp eyes, Ryoma's cold shoulder didn't go unnoticed. Fuji and Inui had told him about recent events, which explained Ryoma's strange behavior. And among all people who have known Ryoma, Tezuka was the only person who could fully understand what was going through his mind.

Ryoma noticed that he was being watched. He gave one final hit on the ball, and waited for it to bounce back to him. He didn't need to look back to see who it was; he just knew. There was only one person who would only greet you with meaningful silence. He turned around to greet him.

"Buchou."

Tezuka didn't respond. Unbeknownst to Ryoma, Tezuka was waiting. He was observing. He knew that Ryoma would not start a conversation without a reason; they were so uncannily similar.

Similarly, the famed freshman knew why his captain suddenly appeared during his training session. He knew that his captain would have known about the incident from days before. Ryoma knew what Tezuka was curious about.

"You know that I've always been like this, Buchou. I, who constantly pays no heed to the world, am arrogant."

"You're just being defensive."

Ryoma's eyebrow twitched.

"Am I not always like this?"

There was an intense silence.

"Listen, Echizen. Emotion is a powerful phenomenon that can strengthen and weaken a person. People who have lost happiness will eventually learn to mask their sadness."

Ryoma stared at his feet as he listened to Tezuka's retreating footsteps.

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After their club's afternoon practice, Ryoma was having headaches. His thoughts had not ceased ever since the day he lost his self-control. Everything was a mystery to him and he was rendered speechless and distressed. He needed a major distraction, and spotted a sports shop.

_Brilliant._

While he was looking for his favorite grip tape, a familiar voice called out his name.

"Echizen-kun!"

He whirled around.

"Huh?"

When that person excitedly walked towards him, Ryoma thought that he seemed rather familiar. The stranger beamed at him.

"Eh? Echizen-kun has forgotten about me already?"

Ryoma's eyes were narrowing into slits while he dug into his memory bank.

"I'm Dan Taichi desu!"

_Aah._

Ryoma gave Dan a curt nod for a greeting.

"What are you doing here Echizen-kun?"

"What else can I do in a sports shop?

"Oh. Ahahaha! I almost forgot that you're still pursuing tennis! I've watched every one of your matches on television."

Ryoma raised a brow and smirked.

"Heh. And when you're done researching about my techniques you'll eventually imitate them."

Dan put up his hands defensively.

"I-Iie _(No)_! Well… not really." Dan replied, flustered.

Ryoma grinned.

When they finally bought what they needed, the two freshmen went for a walk as Ryoma let Dan tell him stories about his former foes. He felt as though it was just yesterday when he was still in the process of discovering his own styles and techniques, fighting against others in middle school. Dan also knew what happened to the other teams that Seigaku fought previously. As Dan talked animatedly, Ryoma would sometimes drop a smirk or a chuckle in response.

"How did you know all this?" Ryoma was amused.

Dan chuckled, "Well I'm not the one who's often in another country to meet pros on the court."

"Yeah, right."

Ryoma glanced at the public clock and noticed how much time had passed. He enjoyed listening to and he that he still had lots to tell. He glanced at Dan, and saw that Dan was frowning hard, like he was trying desperately to remember something.

What Dan mentioned next surprised him.

"I wonder if Ryuuzaki-chan's okay…"

That issue again. He tried to forget it whenever he could but it would just pop up out of nowhere to bother him. But since no one in the club was willing telling him, Ryoma saw no harm in listening.

"What about it?"

Dan looked at him with wide eyes. "You didn't know?"

Ryoma scowled at him.

"Ah! You weren't here when it happened."

_What happened?_

"You had that invitational match in Paris." He added thoughtfully.

Ryoma was getting impatient. "What happened to her?"

Dan stared at Ryoma for a moment before he looked down on the ground. He shifted his feet uneasily.

"You see… Ryuuzaki's parents died in a car accident."

Case closed.

_To be continued…_

**Author's Note: **Now we already know the cause of Sakuno's sadness. But who was that man who harassed the coach? And what will Ryoma do next?


	4. His All

**Return Ace**

**Author**_: Ayane Selznick_

**Beta**_: fantasize.dream._

**Author's Note: **Please **Read** and **Review**!

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**IV. His All**

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Ryoma was utterly shocked.

The absence of sparkle in her eyes, sad smiles and edgy responses when he was around—

_It was all because her parents died. How could I not notice? But… why did she hide it from me?_

Ryoma's eyes became narrow as he stared hard at the ground. He tried to find reasons to why she didn't want him to know about it. She couldn't expect him to just appear out of nowhere and ask her questions like those. Still, he had his own way to know everything, just like now.

"Ryoma-kun? Ryoma-kun?"

Dan's oscillating hand brought back Ryoma's attention.

"Aah… Gomen (sorry). I got to go." His grip on his tennis bag tightened. "I've got something to do." He jogged ahead and before he left he thanked Dan for the stories he shared.

"Oh… Un!"

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The next day, Ryoma made a beeline for Momoshiro. His senpai immediately thought of digging the earth and burying himself because of Ryoma's rigid glare.

"Momo-senpai."

"O-oh… Echizen."

Ryoma didn't waste a second when he nonchalantly mentioned that particular issue to Momo.

"Ma-matte (wait)." He slung an arm around Ryoma's neck and lowered his volume. "Who told you?"

"It's not important." Ryoma snickered. "It's actually bad enough that I learnt it from other people."

When Momoshiro's clutch around his neck relaxed Ryoma took the chance to detach himself from his senpai so that he could fix the collar of his uniform. He detected uneasiness when Momoshiro stared hard at him as if trying to find someone who would be so bold to be insensitive.

"If I didn't know the reason, I wouldn't have understood why she acted that way."

Naturally, Momoshiro would come up an excuse as to why he didn't tell him about it when suddenly Fuji arrived with a calm expression on his face. Ryoma wouldn't be fooled by his senpai's facial expressions. Fuji had an innate ability to mask his true intentions.

"Sakuno-chan doesn't want you to know that she lost somebody close to her because if you knew, she would be afraid to look at you for she didn't want to see only pity in your eyes. She'll get hurt."

Ryoma looked briefly at the courts while the members were gathering for morning practice.

"I'm not the one who frequently shows pity for her." He glanced at his senpais. "You baby sit her too much."

Momo put up a defensive hand as he speaks. "It's not babysitting Echizen. It's not. We're trying to cheer her up."

Ryoma shook his head. "Her frequent display of depression is already proof that your methods are only a failure."

"Natural feelings cannot be easily masked by feigned happiness, Echizen."

Fuji was right.

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Tennis practice in the afternoon was almost done as Tezuka-buchou announced details regarding their match in Kanto tournament. More or less they have experienced playing against their opponents but with Ryoma, being an all-round player, needed no details for he usually used the same tactics regardless of the opponent's game play. The harder his opponents played, the stronger he got. It was quite terrifying for a young athlete like himself to develop such progress in short period of time. But, that's all the reason why, he was always brought out as an ace.

As soon as Tezuka announced dismissal, most of the regulars fled towards the clubhouse to get changed. Freshmen members were ordered to collect tennis balls and unfasten nets. Ryoma was relieved that he didn't have to do those tasks because he sure was lazy when it came to menial tasks. Simply put, he hated doing chores.

"This is getting exciting! We're all getting in all the matches! I can't wait for the tournament!" Eiji excitedly bounced.

"Saa…I wonder what kind of line-up Tezuka has in mind." Fuji's eyes twinkled.

Momo was still putting on his uniform. "Oi Echizen let's go get pizza today!"

Amazingly enough, the famous freshman ace had bid adieu.

Kaidoh stared at the door where Ryoma left. "He changed so quickly."

Oishi followed suit and even peeked out to watch Ryoma's retreating back. "I wonder why he's always in such a hurry."

Behind him, Momo and Eiji exchanged knowing glances.

-----------------------------------------

He planned to go home as soon as he can so he could challenge his perverted father in a match. It was already a tradition for father and son to naturally have matches before and after competitions. Ryoma felt that it was one substantial way to encourage himself to progress even more.

On the way however, he saw Sakuno sitting at her usual spot. He knew that she was waiting for the Coach to pick her up. The man who attacked Coach the other day never returned but his senpais were almost tailing Sakuno wherever she went.

As he walked towards her, he recalled the day when he met Dan and ultimately found out the origin of Sakuno's change. While his senpais were babysitting her, in which Momo declined they weren't, he wanted to have his own way of helping her. He was not the type to cheer his friends on in very obvious ways but he would never abandon a friend. He had helped them so many times especially when his friends were in trouble. This time however, it was different. Nobody was trying to bully Sakuno, except for the suspicious man that all of them agreed to look out for. The main problem was in her heart.

"Waiting for Coach?"

Her shoulder jolted as he stopped beside her. Sakuno was even more surprised that Ryoma finally talked to her. She was really sad when he ignored her for the past days.

"R-Ryoma-kun."

Ryoma took the vacant spot next to Sakuno.

"U-uh… Mm (yeah)."

After placing his tennis bag on the ground, he nonchalantly sat back and placed his arms behind his head.

"You weren't at the courts like you always did."

Sakuno glanced at him before she relaxed on the bench.

"I'm helping in the library… so…"

"You probably didn't know that we'll be having our first match for the Kanto tournament."

Sakuno wrinkled her eyebrows, not understanding why Ryoma was giving her information regarding the tournament.

"When will it be?"

"Hmm… next week."

"Aah…" Sakuno smiled as she nodded.

Silence ensued. Both of them tried valiantly to start another discussion. Ryoma never thought that starting a conversation could be so difficult and that silence could be so _awkward_. Even so, he was quite hesitant to tell her about that particular issue especially when Fuji told him Sakuno's reason. So, he'd try to play along.

"Does the Coach have any tournaments this semester?"

Sakuno tried to sound casual. "In three weeks I think. She usually tells me three days before the scheduled tournament."

"Ah sou (I see). In that case, you can watch us play."

Sakuno looked at him incredulously. "…I will have to ask Obaa-chan (grandmother)."

Ryoma pursed his lips. "It's unusual that you won't be there during our matches though."

She blinked. "Why do you say so?"

He looked away, slightly vacillating. "…Because now that everybody's attending different schools, you're the only one who will be supporting the team."

Sakuno vaguely wondered why Ryoma was persuading her to come.

-----------------------------------------

Unbeknownst to them, four of their senpais were scouting behind the trees. One was eagerly jotting down on his notes, the other beaming slyly beside the other who had a cheeky grin on his face. The last one was curiously watching despite the scary look he was emitting solely from his eyes.

"You know he's been hitting on her since Seigaku." Momo cited, still bearing his known cheeky grin on his face.

Eiji brushed both his cheeks like a cat. "Ochibi (baby boy) is loyal to Sakuno-chan, don't you think nya?"

"There's an 87 percent chance that Ryuuzaki-san would relinquish being a supporter if Echizen stops persuading her. Seemingly, there's a 95 percent chance that Echizen would still persuade her to come. However a 10 percent chance that Ryuuzaki-san—"

"Why is Echizen persuading her anyway?" Kaidoh hissed, slightly displeased that he was dragged along for this little adventure.

Momo turned to look at Kaidoh. "Because somebody told him about Sakuno-chan's parents. Besides, he also ignored her lately."

Kaidoh's eyebrow rose. "So?"

It was Eiji who turned to his kouhai (lower classman). "So Ochibi's trying to find a way to cheer her up."

Kaidoh's expression turned sourly. "But aren't we already helping her cope with her feelings?"

Inui pushed his thick spectacles on the bridge of his nose as he explained. "Unfortunately, Kaidoh, she has given us a low response of 26.3 percent, which means that what we're doing, is not enough to make her return to her usual happy self. However, since Echizen has been the apple of Ryuuzaki-san's eyes, there's a 53.7 percent chance that she will be cheer up."

When they heard the Coach's car honking for Sakuno, the four instantaneously went silent as they watched the scene unfold.

-----------------------------------------

Sakuno stood up from the bench when she heard her grandmother's car. Ryoma followed suit as he picked up his tennis bag and walked behind Sakuno.

"Ohh! Ryoma. Fancy seeing you're still here."

Ryoma only gave her a curt nod out of respect.

"He saw me waiting for you, Obaachan, so he…" Sakuno was hesitatin. Was it really okay to say that he accompanied her while she waited?

Ryoma saved her from being bashful. "I accompanied her until you came."

Sumire smiled at him and told her granddaughter to come in the car. After Sakuno got in, Sumire glanced at Ryoma and waved at him before she reversed the car and zoomed out onto the road. They weren't far from the school when Sumire pointed out the obvious.

"Ryoma finally approached a girl, eh? Did he ask you out already?"

Sakuno's eyes blinked twice before she began fidgeting on her seat.

"You're getting the wrong idea, Obaachan. Ryoma would never ask me out." _Because the one who would ask for a date is… me…_

Sumire glanced on her granddaughter as she drove.

"Nobody really knows what's going on inside that mind of his."

Sakuno bashfully lowered her head and agreed silently.

"But what do we know? It's okay to hope but don't expect too much."

-----------------------------------------

Ryoma stood blankly as he watched the Ryuuzaki's car disappear round the corner. It wasn't too long after the car vanished when Momoshiro, Kaidoh, Eiji and Inui surprised him from behind. Disguising his alarm with a glare, Ryoma wondered where the hell they came from.

"It's good to be so young. So young, ne, Echizen?" Momo gave him a knowing look.

Eiji delightfully slapped his shoulder blade. "If you want advice for dates, you can count on me nya!"

Inui continuously scribbled in his notebook as Kaidoh stared disbelievingly at it.

"Why are you writing stuff that is unrelated to tennis?" Kaidoh asked gruffly.

"It's related to Echizen, which makes it tennis-related." Inui replied, not skipping a beat.

Ryoma wondered why he was under the spotlight.

"I'm going home."

"No way Echizen!"

"Let's go get pizza to celebrate your first date nya!"

"There's a 70 percent chance that Echizen will be—"

"He's running away. Fushuuuu."

-----------------------------------------

Sakuno began observing Ryoma's behavior after he greeted her first when they first met at the school grounds in the morning. Initially, she thought that he was in a good mood but it became strange when he suddenly spoke to her during Physics class. She was having a hard time doing their science activity when he suddenly came to her side giving hints about what she should do. She thought she was hallucinating but after pinching her cheek, she started to speculate why Ryoma would do such a thing.

During lunch, he was at the rooftop again. She brought Ryoma's lunchbox as requested. She knew him better than anyone. Whenever he said 'it was nothing' it meant the opposite. Sakuno had made lunch because she promised him. Soon they began eating together until another strange occasion occurred.

"The food's good."

Ryoma complimented her meal. To Sakuno, it was very unusual to receive compliments from him. His mouth typically shoots out mocking words to provoke people; she was even a victim of his 'mada mada dane' when she made him lunch years ago.

Nonetheless, Sakuno was glad that he finally appreciated all her good deeds at the same time, she felt that their relationship as friends had started growing. She observed him for five days and still wondered about what had gotten in his mind to show such unbelievable courtesy to her.

On the afternoon of the day before the match, Sakuno visited the courts to witness the team's progress in tennis. She strongly believed that Seishun High would be victorious in the upcoming tournaments. They have grown so powerful and each time they were facing a difficult opponent, they would evolve and become stronger, just like Ryoma.

She watched the regulars line up after Tezuka called them. He gave then a short briefing before allowing them to start their training.

_Don't let your guard down… that's what he usually says._

Satisfied that his members were concentrating on their training, Tezuka glanced behind the courts to see Sakuno smiling back at him. He gave her a curt nod and walked past the gate. The regulars followed his instructions, enthusiastically running towards the limited number of courts for practice.

Except for one who watched his Buchou (captain) walk towards their infrequent visitor.

Tezuka accompanied Sakuno by the bench outside the courts.

"How are you feeling?" He stared down at his female kouhai (lower classman). The flushing cheeks and timid smile was not unnoticed. "It's good that you've been smiling a lot lately."

Sakuno blinked at him in surprise. She didn't know that her reaction would be that visible.

"H-hai (yes). Thank you." She bit her lower lip. "Well, actually I came here because… I want to know if something happened to Ryoma-kun."

Tezuka raised a brow.

"He was… I think he's more open than before." Sakuno kept fidgeting as she explained.

"Hmm?"

"Ah… well… naturally, he has never spoken to me in class or greet me first in the morning. What I meant is—" She let out s small sigh. "Well I'm thinking that maybe he did all those things because… I'm the only one in our batch that he knew for years." Her smile faded. "But I'm glad that he's beginning to change…"

Tezuka waited for further reactions, but only silence was left. For one, he knew exactly why Ryoma was acting the way he did. Two, he knew why Sakuno approached him. She thought that he knew Ryoma best.

"Despite his known arrogance, Echizen is sensitive to people around him. He easily identifies a person's feelings." His eyes darted the courts as a succession of yells came from Kaidoh and Momo. "He shows concern but never wanted to show it."

Sakuno cocked her head sideways, not understanding what Tezuka meant. He had a habit of sharing words with deep meaning, but she felt like she was always an exception for any matter that was related to her. Sakuno was delighted that Ryoma was actually concerned about her welfare. She always thought that he would never keep an eye on her.

"… Honestly… I'm already happy when he's around." She looked up to Tezuka with a meaningful smile.

The captain gave her a curt nod and a pat on the head like a loving brother. After a while, she looked back on the courts and noticed that Ryoma was gone.

Sakuno remembered something. "Ryoma-kun told me about the upcoming matches. I would love to come."

"Do you want me to pick you up?"

Sakuno looked surprisingly at the captain. "Ah… well…"

"I'll ask Echizen to pick you up, then."

"H-huh? But… Tezuka-san…"

Tezuka smiled a little and patted her head once again. He knew that Ryoma was the only person who could make her happy, so he'd help her.

Unbeknownst the two, Ryoma had been listening for a while.

-----------------------------------------

Ryoma woke up early in the morning. It was the day of the tournament. He was aware of his morning task at hand so immediately got up from his bed, surprising even himself, to take a bath and change from night clothes. Yesterday, he had no choice but to comply whatever his captain told him to do, even though he was sure he'd do it even without being told. Right after he asked Sakuno to attend their game, he told himself to accompany her to-and-fro.

He was putting his sports shoes on when his father appeared at the hallway.

"Isn't it a bit early to leave?"

Ryoma ignored his father. After he tied his shoelaces, he dragged his tennis bag on to his shoulder.

"Ittekimasu (I'm going)…" The dull tone of his voice echoed in their entryway.

-----------------------------------------

The young man was debating with his conscience.

After the day he found out about her concerns, he had wanted to open it up with her. He thought that by facing the painful reality, she would subsequently move on.

And yet, Fuji's word engraved in his mind as well.

"_Sakuno-chan doesn't want you to know that she lost somebody close to her because if you knew, she would be afraid to look at you only to see pity in your eyes. She'll only get hurt."_

Ryoma arrived at the front entrance of the Ryuuzaki residence.

_It'll come along…_

He rang the doorbell. Seconds later, Sakuno appeared. She announced her departure to her grandmother and closed the door.

"Ohayou (good morning), Ryoma-kun."

Ryoma nodded.

"I'm sorry that you'll have to pick me up… I told Tezuka-san that I can—"

He smirked. "You'll only get lost. Let's go."

"H-hai!"

As the two freshmen walked towards the train station, a silver car slowed to a stop in front of the Ryuuzaki's house.

_To be continued…_

**Author's Note: **Echizen doesn't like sad girls, no? Also, visit **fantasized.dream.**'s page okay?


	5. Little Girl

**Return Ace**

**Author**_: Ayane Selznick_

**Beta**_: fantasize.dream_

-----------------------------------------

**V. Little Girl**

-----------------------------------------

The pair of freshmen arrived at the tournament location punctually. Eiji was bouncing ever so happily towards them, letting them know where the rest of team was waiting. Ryoma instantly heard the team hooting at them when he and Sakuno walked towards them. Sakuno's face became hot pink when she heard her senpais (upper classmen) teasing her. She glanced at him for a moment and thought that his lips were pursed. Luckily for him, he was already wearing his cap which he used to hide his blushing cheeks.

Tezuka-buchou and their present coach were walking towards the registration table to submit their registration. Those who were part of the line-up have started warming up. Ryoma jogged on a spot to warm up his legs after sitting for thirty minutes during the travel here. His eyes drifted towards Sakuno, who had started walking towards the tournament courts as if in nostalgia.

"It's been a while since I have watched the tennis games…" She whispered, smiling at the middle school memories that she treasured so much.

"Ryuuzaki."

Sakuno turned around to see Ryoma standing a good distance behind her.

"Tezuka-buchou said you can sit with them by the bench."

Her eyes shone with delight. "Just like the old times, ne?"

Ryoma smirked. "So it seems."

Suddenly a chiming sound disrupted the air. Sakuno immediately excused herself knowing that the tune was actually in her phone. Ryoma waited for her to finish her conversation over the phone while his eyes gazed at the courts wondering which part of the tournament he would play.

After Sakuno said her good-byes to whoever was on the phone, she told Ryoma that Kachiro, Katsuo and Horio will come over.

Ryoma's lips twitched. _Too much for the old times._

The announcement for today's match blared out from the loudspeakers above them.

-----------------------------------------

Time flew by and they were all at the edge of their seats as they watched Ryoma fight for the last score of the game. As they had expected, Ryoma's performance was exceptionally good. He took five consecutive games in a blink of an eye. Inui even declared that it was too much for the opponent to face Ryoma; Tezuka was thinking the exact same thing.

The trio, together with the members of Seishun High tennis club, was enthusiastically cheering Ryoma on for the win. Sakuno clasped her hands above her chest in a silent prayer: Let luck be on Ryoma's side.

When the third year opponent hit his serve over Ryoma's court, Ryoma chased quickly and performed one of his signature moves – the Cool Drive.

The opponent did not expect Ryoma to do such thing; the ball hit the ground with a resounding thud, proclaiming his defeat. Despite the humiliating loss, the third year opponent gladly extended his arm for a handshake – honored to have fought with one of the most skilled players in Japan.

Yells of winning erupted in the air as the Seishun High team congratulated the bearer of their victory. Ryoma was fuzzed when most of their hands landed on his back and on the top of his head – seemingly teasing him.

"This brings back memories." Kachiro whispered.

"Yeah. The feeling of excitement and coming out from a victorious battle. It really is Ryoma-kun." Katsuo followed.

Horio stepped in between them and started with his 'know-it-all' speech once again.

"I've always predicted that Echizen would win his games. He let the opponent won on the sixth round to relax a bit and—"

"Shut up Horio-kun…"

Momoshiro appeared behind the three with both hands on his hips.

"I think you should decide where your loyalties lie. We'll face each other on these courts soon. You'll see."

The trio immediately raised their hands in defense. "Momo-chan senpai!"

Momo laughed at them until an announcement was heard for the next tournament.

-----------------------------------------

"Why don't we celebrate at Taka-san's place like the old times?" Eiji gleefully suggested.

"That would be nice," Fuji added. "What do you think, Tezuka?"

Tezuka was greeted by several expectant looks from the regulars. Even the trio joined in.

"It won't be so bad, but let's not get careless."

"Yosh!"

"Yahoo!"

"Fushuu…"

"Unagi! Unagi! (Eiji's favorite kind of sushi, I think its eel)"

Sakuno was the only person in the group who looked hesitant on going. It was already sunset when they left the courts and she had promised her grandmother that she'll come home before dark. But the senpais looked happy and the feeling of nostalgia was tempting as well.

"I'm in charge of walking you home, you know."

She looked to her side to see Ryoma raising a brow at her. He was actually inviting her. She blushed at the thought.

"H-hai…"

-----------------------------------------

They arrived at Kawamura Sushi Bar with a bang. Takashi was so delighted to see his old team once again. He was informed of their victory after the game and congratulated them. Before he could announce an "eat all you can" dinner, his father butted in and said that there would be a discount especially for them. The young men happily took the offer and sat down at the low tables.

It was unusually loud and ecstatic inside the bar. Everybody seemed like recharged batteries after the afternoon's tournament. From the sidebar, Tezuka, the Coach and Inui were talking to Taka-san and his father. From the loud table, Momo and Eiji were once again tricked into eating wasabi sushi by Fuji. Kaidoh was eating quietly while Oishi told Fuji's victims to watch what they were putting into their mouths.

On the other table, where the reunited freshmen comrades sat and enjoyed being welcomed by their senpais, Ryoma observed the trio. Right after they arrived at the bar, he couldn't help but think if Horio and the others knew about Sakuno. He was actually convinced that they were there during the funeral or they could have visited Sakuno during the mournful days. If they did know, then why would they act like they didn't know anything at all? They were so engrossed boasting about each other's lives for Sakuno to hear.

_Or maybe… like the senpais, they're trying to cheer her up._

He vaguely wondered if they were really trying to help Sakuno. They attended different schools now and would rarely have a chance to see and talk to her, didn't they think that this was the only time they would actually be able to help her?

Out of the blue, Ryoma narrowed his eyes. He questioned himself about why he was so compelled to help Sakuno. When he began searching for answers in his mind, his cell phone rang. He stood up from his seat and went to the hallway near the comfort room so that he would be able to hear the person on the other line clearly.

"Ryoma speaking."

"Oi Ryoma. Bring Sakuno-chan over here."

A glare. "What do you want this time, oyaji (old man, father)?"

"Keh. The old hag is in the hospital."

Before Nanjiroh cut off the line, he gave Ryoma the name of the hospital.

It took him a minute or two before he brought himself back to reality. He quickly shoved his cell phone into his pocket, walking towards the table where Sakuno was chuckling at Horio's jokes. He thought that his senpais wouldn't specifically speculate what had transpired and decided that he would keep this occurrence a secret. It wasn't because he wanted pay back, but it was because he knew that Sakuno would do the same thing.

He tried to look casual as he sat beside her. "Let's go."

"Eh?"

Sakuno's surprised response alerted the senpais and even the trio.

"Oi, Echizen what's up?" Momo asked as he looked over his shoulder.

Ryoma hid his intentions very well. "Coach Ryuuzaki called."

Oishi understood the situation. "Sakuno-chan must go home, isn't it? Should we accompany you guys?"

Ryoma stood hastily with Sakuno in tow. "We can manage."

The moment he declined Oishi's offer, the rest of the regulars started teasing them once again. Sakuno's cheeks burned once again. She didn't know if she was thrilled; there was something in her gut that told her otherwise. Sakuno considered the excuse that Ryoma uttered when he told her that they had to leave. What was the real reason that her grandmother would call Ryoma, and not her?

Once they had gotten out of the sushi bar, Ryoma grabbed her wrist and forced her to run.

"Ryo-Ryoma-kun!" She gasped. "We don't have to hurry home! Obaa-chan (grandma) will understand why we're running late."

Ryoma kept running until they passed the fifth street. He neither slowed down nor looked at her. Sakuno was beginning to worry.

"Ryoma-kun!"

"Coach's in the hospital."

Sakuno stopped.

Ryoma halted when he felt Sakuno stop behind him. He was gasping a little as he turned around to meet Sakuno's flabbergasted face. She needed an answer.

"My father called me. He told me to tell you that the Coach is in the hospital."

He noticed the trembling of her lips and the widened shape of her eyes. Ryoma hissed at her non-responsive stature and pulled her wrist once again.

-----------------------------------------

As soon as they reached the hospital, Ryoma and Sakuno entered the building and headed towards the reception desk. Sakuno frantically asked the nurse where her grandmother was staying. Just as they got her room number, Sakuno ran ahead of Ryoma in a speed she didn't even know that she possessed. In the midst of their sprinting, Ryoma noticed her transformation from fake smiles to complete fear. He knew that the feeling she was showing right now was the fear of losing another loved one – which he hoped he was wrong.

_She had seen and felt too much. That can't be possibly happen._

Ryoma wanted to find out what the hell was wrong with her and her family. His eyes turned sharp as soon as he caught sight of the room number. Sakuno ran faster and upon arrival at the door step, she opened the door and cried.

"Obaa-chan!"

Ryoma arrived shortly after and saw how Sakuno quickly jumped towards the bed side – hugging her grandmother so fiercely that her emotions burst. He walked further into the room and closed the door. His eyes darted towards his father who was sitting idly on a chair at the foot of the bed. Nanjiroh gave him a look then a nod, a gesture that only meant that his son did a good job.

"What are you doing here?" Ryoma started in a low volume.

Nanjiroh took notice of Sakuno's sobs as she was hugged by her grandmother. Coach Sumire wasn't entirely in bad shape but she had gotten wounds and bruises, so he urgently got her to the hospital.

"She called me a while ago to discuss something about your upcoming invitation tournament. She started yelling during our conversation. She mentioned about an intruder. Then I heard glass breaking and things thrown so I sped up and checked what was happening."

Sumire was hushing Sakuno when Nanjiroh paused for a moment. Ryoma glanced at Sakuno and thought he felt something akin to a twinge in his chest.

"She got bruises and cuts. She's got to stay here longer though because she hit her back or something during the scuffle."

Sakuno still sobbed on her grandmother. "I'm so scared Obaa-chan… I can't afford to lose the only family I have…"

At that very moment, Ryoma's eyes went wide, so did Sakuno's when realized what she has said. She had been trying to keep her secret for a long time and just now, it was revealed unintelligently. Sakuno buried her face in her grandmother's embrace, trying to hide in shame.

"I…" Ryoma's eyes softened. "I already know about it, Ryuuzaki."

Sakuno gasped.

"I was actually thinking of bringing it up to you. But I found no reason to."

Sakuno's hold on her grandmother finally loosened but she remained keeping her face on her hands. Sumire smiled wistfully as her granddaughter. She patted her head lovingly. The old woman understood why her granddaughter would do such thing.

"I have told Nanjiroh about it, so Ryoma would most likely find out." Sumire thought out loud.

Ryoma's head spun round, eyes glaring daggers towards his father. "Oyaji never told me anything."

Nanjiroh raised a brow when Ryoma started chanting cruel words. "She called me during your match so there was no time telling you what happened."

But Ryoma saw no logic in it. "Then why didn't you tell me after the match?"

"Young man, we had no time to come over and pay our respects to them! Coach Sumire wouldn't like it if you left the tournament, you know!"

Before the heated verbal fight of the Echizens could continue further, Sumire yelled at them to stop their ridiculous dispute. To have such a trivial argument where more important matters were at hand was quite childish for them to do so. Both the Echizens huffed at each other, momentary declaring a truce.

"Despite the complete contradiction the two of you have, you both have innate thick heads and stubbornness." She sighed afterwards.

Sakuno have finally stopped sobbing but the sniveling had not yet ended. She brought her hands to her face, wiping the tears off. At some point, she felt embarrassed at how she cried like a child – especially when Ryoma was in the room. In order to hide her embarrassing moments, she took the initiative to ask her grandmother who had hurt her.

Sumire had an apologetic look on her eyes as she spoke. "I'm sorry for not telling you this earlier, Sakuno." She saw her granddaughter's eyes grow wide.

"This happened a week ago or so… anyway, Ryoma and the others were even there." Upon being mentioned, Ryoma remembered that particular day. "I was confronted by a stranger. He kept asking me about the account of your parents."

"So it's all about money huh?" Nanjiroh asked.

Sumire nodded. "Right after their death, some of the employees and good friends of my son and my daughter-in-law had warned me about the possibilities of bumping into different troubles."

Ryoma kept his silence as he listened intently. He heard that the cause of death was a car accident, but he didn't know where it happened. And at this moment, he learned the reason why Coach Ryuuzaki became over-protective of her granddaughter – it was all because of the money. What was with their money anyway?

_A debt? Or one that's hard to get?_

Suddenly Sakuno's sobs echoed once more. Ryoma watched as Sakuno gripped the sheets on the bed with her eyes shut, but tears still able to get out of her eyes.

"Why are people so greedy? Why would they want something from Mom and Dad even after their death? Don't they even have respect for them? Why…! Why…"

Ryoma's eyes lowered as he listened to Sakuno's cries. He wanted to find the real perpetrator of this succession of events because this could not be prolonged. More and more people would suffer and Sakuno might not be able to cope with everything. They had been trying to help her move on but with all these kind of people who are destroying what's left of her, she might drown to nothingness. The possibility of her recovering might not even reach one percent.

The young Echizen reminded himself that he had to do something, but there were no details about that materialistic man. It would be hard to solve this case; his initial thought of helping Sakuno would only be in vain if the case wasn't solved.

"Nanjiroh."

Even if it was his father's name, Ryoma also looked towards the Coach.

"I will have a big favor to ask of you."

Nanjiroh looked at her pensively.

"I'll leave my granddaughter to your care."

Suddenly, strings of comments emerged in the air.

"What?!"

"Obaa-chan, what are you saying?"

"…ha?"

Sumire had a serious expression especially her eyes which they easily noticed. All three of them wondered why she would do such a thing.

"I know it would be troublesome, but it's the only way I know of. That man would surely try and locate anyone related to Shigure (her son) and Yoshino (daughter-in-law)."

Nanjiroh was about to accept when Sakuno immediately rose from her seat and begged her grandmother to let her stay by her side.

"I won't be a burden to you, Obaa-chan, just please let me stay with you!" She dropped her head to not let her grandmother see that she was actually crying again. "I'm scared Obaa-chan…"

Sumire tapped Sakuno's shoulder to gain her attention. "Look Sakuno, you're not a burden. I'm just concerned about you. They would take all the risk to get what they want and I don't want them hurting you. Have you forgotten that you're the only child of your parents?"

_Only child? _Ryoma stared disbelievingly at Sakuno. _So we're standing on the same plane._

Sakuno looked at her grandmother's eyes before she bit her lower lip and gave up. It was true that she's the only child of Shigure and Yoshino and it is also anticipated that she might become the target of them, which Sumire prayed not to happen. When the room became still, Nanjiroh thought that he should break the ice.

"As I was trying to say earlier—" Sumire looked at him. "I'll accept the job."

Ryoma and Sakuno turned their heads towards Nanjiroh.

"Well, I'm tired of being surrounded by two naggers and a brat at home. I need a change."

"How about we burn your precious magazines, oyaji?"

"You're going too far, brat! Like hell I would!"

At this, Sumire wondered if it was really wise to allow Nanjiroh to take charge of Sakuno.

-----------------------------------------

Sumire told the teenagers that she needed to explain something to Nanjiroh and asked them to go to some place for a while. Ryoma, as always, would look for vending machines and search for his favorite Ponta drink. When they located one, at the hallway far from the Coach's room, Ryoma purchased two.

Sakuno smiled at him when he gave her the drink. "Thank you, Ryoma-kun."

And that's all there is.

They have succumbed to silence, submerged in their own thoughts – what would happen now?

Ryoma felt something strange in the air and thought that he should ease the tension. "So you'll be living with us now, huh?"

Sakuno bit her lower lip. She didn't want to involve Ryoma in any problems she would be encountering. She had troubled him enough.

"I'm so sorry for everything, Ryoma-kun…"

Ryoma's intention was to lighten up the mood but it looked like he failed. Sakuno continued.

"It seems like I've been a burden to all of you… even to Obaa-chan… I'm really sorry."

He glanced at her saddened figure from the corner of his eyes. He had seen her countless of times but paid no heed in every advance she tried. He knew that the girl was pure of heart and hesitant; she always seemed to need a little push. What she didn't know about was her inner strength – the strength in her heart.

"You keep saying that," He sipped his Ponta, sounding frustrated. "It's their choice to protect you."

"But…" Her hands around the can tightened a bit. "I'm so scared… I don't want to leave Obaa-chan alone."

He sighed. "The police will probably come over. Oyaji called them earlier."

A pause.

"I'm really sorry, Ryoma-kun. I'm so sorry that you've got mixed into our trouble…"

Another sip. "Why don't you look at the brighter side? It's rare for us to live in one roof together, you know."

The thought finally registered in her mind. It was true. They never had been in close contact, and would only see each other during matches and school days. Living in his house would have made her overjoyed the moment she heard her grandmother suggested it – but she was far too occupied being worried for her grandmother at that time to fully understand.

"…sou da ne… (Is that so?)"

_To be continued…_

**Author's Note: **An unexpected decision – what would become of Ryoma and Sakuno in one roof? And how are they going to reveal the man all his evil schemes? Next chapter will have RyoSaku moments so stay tuned!


	6. Welcome Foreign Feelings

**Return Ace**

**Author**: _Ayane Selznick_

**Beta**: _fantasize.dream_

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**VI. Welcome Foreign Feelings**

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They left the hospital right after the police interrogated Nanjiroh; he was some sort of witness for today's incident.

Sakuno and Ryoma had not said any words to each other during the travel so Nanjiroh took that moment to make fun of his son. Unfortunately, said guy had gotten somewhat more mature – he kept ignoring his father's taunting. But it was worth it, since Sakuno smiled at their antics.

You rarely see a father acting like a brat and his son acting like a matured man.

The one-sided bickering finally stopped when they reached the Ryuuzaki's residence to get Sakuno's things for her temporary stay at the Echizen's. The two men instantly got out of the car, checking if the man still lurked around the block.

"Sakuno-chan, may I take the house key?" Nanjiroh was still looking around the entrance as he extended his arm towards her.

Ryoma was pretty much doing the same thing. While his father was taking the front, he was guarding the back. He was standing behind Sakuno as he silently glanced at their surroundings. After Nanjiroh finally opened the front door of her house, Sakuno slowly stepped in with Ryoma following behind. When Sakuno was traveling further into the premises, Ryoma denied her access by grabbing her hand. Sakuno wondered why Ryoma stopped her but when she looked at him, she finally understood.

"Everything's fine now." They heard Nanjiroh call from the inside.

Ryoma walked on ahead with Sakuno in tow. He was unaware that he was still holding her hand.

"Ryo-Ryoma-kun…" She called.

He stopped to look at her.

"Could you… uhm. You can let go of my hand now." She blushed.

Ryoma looked down at their linked hands before he shrugged and slowly let go of her hand. Sakuno was quite surprised that he didn't let go harshly like she always imagined. The way he let go of her hand seemed as though he was doing it unwillingly.

Nanjiroh was walking down the narrow hallway that connected the living room and the dining room.

"You should get your things now Sakuno-chan."

"Please make yourself at home. I won't take long."

Nanjiroh grinned at her. "Oh no! It's okay, we can wait you know!"

Pleased with Nanjiroh's reply, Sakuno immediately flew upstairs to pack her things. Ryoma was looking for the fridge to get something to drink. The house was simply furnished, he noticed. A vase of flowers was in almost every room he passed. As he passed a side table before turning into the kitchen, he saw a few sports magazines lying abandoned there. When he finally found the refrigerator, he helped himself to a refreshing can of Ponta.

"Oi, Ryoma."

Ryoma's ears perked up. His father was unusually serious.

Nanjiroh had his side leaning on the wall near the entryway. "You have to cooperate with me. Since you are classmates, I need you to watch her over. I won't be able to give you a ride to school so you have to walk her to school and back, do you understand?"

Ryoma emptied the glass and washed it before putting it back in place. "I already know what I'm supposed to do."

"Oh yeah? Even the troubles ahead?"

Ryoma turned to look at his father with equally serious eyes.

Of course he knew what kind of troubles might be waiting for Sakuno, and he promised that no matter what happened, he would be there. What he didn't know was just how far he was willing to risk his life to protect Sakuno.

His father spoke again. "We're not doing this just because the old hag helped us in tennis and all. It's because she's already part of the family."

Ryoma understood that part. He knew. He had already felt it.

Although his father never said it out loud, Ryoma knew that the Coach was like family to Nanjiroh. She had helped him quite a lot in his endeavors, even after he had graduated from Seigaku. Ryoma knew that his father earned a lot because of her. Coach Ryuuzaki was like a close relative.

In fact, even the little girl – Sakuno, was like her grandmother. She did not perform quite well in tennis, and was actually quite a magnet for trouble when Ryoma was around, but he felt as though he was really compelled to help her. She had helped him all the ways she could, but Ryoma still felt that she was giving too much effort, no matter how small the task was.

If only he knew how much Sakuno cared for him – even until now.

"So, Ryoma."

The kid nonchalantly stared at his father.

Nanjiroh had a mischievous grin. "Let's bet about Sakuno's vital stats."

"…ha?"

His father neared him as he nudged his son's arm. "We rarely have somebody as cute as Sakuno-chan, right? It's like the live version of those high school girls in the magazine. Hehehe… what do you think?"

His patience finally snapping, Ryoma tasted irritation on his tongue as he bickered with his father. "Are you playing a hero or what? You're faking that 'family' stuff."

"Oi, oi, young man. How about you learn how to appreciate the beauty of women?"

"She's not even a woman yet, old man."

"Well she would be. And a fine, lovely woman indeed." He was rubbing his palms together.

"I don't want to take the advice of a lecherous father."

"WHAT?!"

-----------------------------------------

After sorting her clothes atop her bed, Sakuno dragged two large bags out from under her bed. Her school stuff was already sorted a while ago. She only hoped that she wouldn't have to bring dictionaries or any other heavy books on the way to their place because the baggage would prove too heavy for her to move. Clothes and other supplies to fulfill feminine needs were all she needed to have. Her allowance wouldn't be a problem because her grandmother has given her money for two weeks. A little financial planning was all she needed to do.

She still had many things on her mind and she could only hope that this would end.

_My parents are gone… and now they're after my grandmother… _Her eyes formed tears as her lower lip quivered. _All I wanted to do is to move on… To take my peaceful life back…_ She was unable to stop the tears; the large droplets cascaded down her cheeks.

"Ryuuzaki."

The familiar voice caused her to almost jump in surprise. She glanced at him quickly before she turned back to resume her packing and somewhat remove traces of tears on her face.

"Ryoma-kun, I'm so sorry that I'm taking so long…"

Sympathy flickered in his eyes. "I thought you needed help so I came in."

Just as she had finished wiping her eyes, she nervously turned to him and nodded. "Oh… Thank you." She was hesitating to tell him that the other bag was prepared.

"Which one?" Ryoma asked, keenly observing her actions at the same time.

Sakuno turned her back once again to take a deep breath so she could calm herself. When she was finally done, she turned to Ryoma and pointed the bag by the bed.

"That one."

Ryoma proceeded to get the bag. Out from the corner of his eyes, he saw Sakuno taking a deep breath once again before she resumed her packing.

_There's no need to try to be tough…_

-----------------------------------------

It was nine in the evening when they arrived at the Echizen's residence. Sakuno was sitting at the back with a whirlpool of feelings that started to develop at the pit of her stomach. She gazed at the large house of the Echizens and admired its structure.

_So this is where Ryoma-kun lives…_

Nanjiroh came out of the car to pick up her things from the car trunk. Ryoma noticed Sakuno's silence from the back. He looked at Sakuno's moving reflection in the mirror in front of him.

"Mom's waiting, let's go." Ryoma said.

Sakuno looked up and saw Ryoma's eyes reflected in the mirror. She stared and smiled at him.

"Hai."

She stepped out of the car, taking her bag with her. Ryoma helped his father take Sakuno's bags and temporarily placed it on the ground. He heard footsteps from the house and thought that it must be Nanako. When the front door slid open, he saw his long-haired cousin beaming a smile at Sakuno.

"You must be Ryuuzaki-san's granddaughter." She stated.

Sakuno politely bowed, while briefly wondering about who Nanako was. "I'm so sorry for the trouble I've caused."

It couldn't be Ryoma's mother. "And thank you as well, for having me here."

Nanako smiled at the polite girl and helped her stand properly. "You don't have to say that." She took Sakuno's hand and proceeded to enter the house. "I'm Nanako, Ryoma-san's cousin."

Sakuno didn't know what to say at first. "Oh. I'm Ryuuzaki Sakuno. Nice to meet you Nanako-san."

They removed their shoes and took slippers. "Just call me Nanako-chan or Onee-san (Big Sister)." She grinned at her. "Auntie! Sakuno-chan's here!"

Sakuno searched the hallway for this person who Nanako called 'Auntie'. It was quite obvious that she was referring to Ryoma's mother. Somehow, Sakuno had a feeling of excitement that she was finally meeting his mom. She was once again dragged by Nanako towards the living room, telling her to sit down and asking if she already had dinner at the same time. Sakuno shyly told her that they came from victory party at Kawamura's Sushi Bar so she was still full. Nanako looked happy after hearing about the victory party.

As if on cue, Ryoma entered the house holding Sakuno's bag. Nanako hastily went out of the room to congratulate her cousin for his team's win. Sakuno heard Ryoma saying it was nothing, just like before, and it made her smile.

"Good evening, Sakuno-chan."

Sakuno turned around to meet a woman with reddish brown hair and pleasant features. For a few moments, Sakuno stared at the pretty woman. Fortunately, she remembered her manners quickly enough and managed to give respect to her host.

"I'm really sorry for all the trouble, Echizen-san."

For a moment, Ryoma's mother didn't say anything to her which made her more nervous. But the second she felt warm hands on her shoulder and an expression of amiability, her heart suddenly became warm. She looked at the woman's face once again – admiring her beauty and kindness.

"Don't be, Sakuno-chan." The woman said warmly. "Your grandmother is like a family to us. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't be able to meet Nanjiroh."

Sakuno didn't know exactly how her grandmother helped Ryoma's parents to meet together but she was glad that somehow her grandmother had done such a thing, because if they had not met before then there wouldn't be a Ryoma today. At the same time , she hoped that she could do the same thing; she wanted to help people like how her grandmother did.

The woman continued. "And please, you can call me Rinko-san or Auntie if you like."

Sakuno bowed once again. "Hai. Thank you so much for having me here." Surprisingly she found confidence from Rinko's warm welcome. She could almost feel that Rinko and her mother were the same.

"Have you eaten dinner?" Rinko asked.

"Hai… Ryoma-kun and I attended a victory party before we came to the hospital."

Rinko momentarily looked at the hallway to see her son lifting Sakuno's bag towards the guestroom. _Maybe he knows that it wasn't something to celebrate at the moment_. She looked at Sakuno. "I hope you enjoy your stay here, Sakuno-chan."

"Hai. Thank you so much."

-----------------------------------------

At nine forty in the evening, Rinko gathered the family members at the dinner table, of course with Sakuno as their guest. She explained to everybody about some changes inside the house and the precautions taken if the man that attacked her grandmother came. Sakuno wanted to say how sorry she really was for the trouble she caused in the house but as soon as Nanjiroh noticed her silence, he tried to lighten up the mood once again by picking on his son.

"Ryoma," he called, "practice your social skills with Sakuno from now on."

Ryoma glared at his father. "Do I look like I don't talk to anyone?"

Nanjiroh immediate reply threw Ryoma off. "Well, that is something that you still need to learn."

Rinko and Nanako sighed deeply. With or without a guest staying over, the men in the house would stay the same.

"I'm going up." Ryoma announced frustratingly, tired from ignoring and bickering with his father.

Nanako followed suit, announcing that she had to go to work the next day. She told Sakuno to follow her upstairs so she could give her a short tour of the house before she rested. Rinko also announced her leave from the dinner table, telling Nanjiroh that he should stop picking on Ryoma because their son was no longer a small child. Nanjiroh was about to stand up and leave when Sakuno called his name.

"Nanjiroh-san."

Nanjiroh turned to her with a sly grin on his face. "What is it Sakuno-chan?"

Sakuno smiled at him before she lowered into a bow. "I'm truly grateful for everything you did for us. Arigatou gozaimashita (thank you very much)."

Nanjiroh smiled at her. "Don't mention it. The ol…" He nervously coughed. "Your grandmother helped my family a lot, too so maybe this is our turn."

"Nanjiroh-san…"

The man suddenly had a cunning thought. "Well, perhaps you could do me a favor."

"Eh?"

"Help that brat to get along with girls." He lowered his voice. "He's a slowpoke, you know."

Sakuno was rendered speechless.

-----------------------------------------

Sakuno had done unpacking her things at the guestroom. Hearing no noises from outside the room, she realized that the hosts were probably tired and asleep. She just couldn't erase the feeling of guilt for involving Ryoma's family into their problem.

_I really have to stop pitying myself… It's getting nowhere._

Right after she changed into her night clothes, Sakuno decided to go down the living room to have some fresh air. She sat on the floor and gazed at the backyard. Sounds of insects were around the corner and it felt like it would be a pleasant night at the Echizens.

Suddenly, a cat meowed at her. She saw the white Himalayan cat staring back at her.

"Did I disturb your sleep?" She asked softly.

The cat just meowed at her before going to her lap and curled itself. Sakuno giggled at the animal for being friendly and sweet to a visitor. To give the cat a reward, she softly stroked its soft fur, cajoling it to sleep.

"Animals can sense if a person is sad."

Sakuno turned towards the familiar voice that came from the living room. "Ryoma-kun." Then she lowered her head. "I probably woke you up, didn't I? I'm sorry."

"You're funny."

She looked up at him. "Eh?"

He stared at the midnight blue sky. "You've been apologizing even for the things you didn't do." He slumped himself on the floor beside her. "Aren't you getting tired of it?"

Sakuno lowered her head. "I'm sorry."

"See?"

They looked at each other before her chuckles reached his ears. "I probably don't."

If Sakuno didn't turn her head away, she would have seen that smile on his face.

Right after her short chuckles, the two have basked in silence, embracing the serenity of the night. The night was still but the breeze would occasionally brush past them with a cooling effect. It was relaxing and comforting – a small relief from today's stressful event.

Sakuno thought of Ryoma and all the things he and his family did for her and for her grandmother. If it weren't for them, she and her grandmother would still be finding a hard time solving their security problem. Her grandmother would most likely worry even more if she stayed in another home with another family.

"Ryoma-kun."

He glanced at her.

"I know you're tired of hearing this but…" She turned to look at him. "I'm sorry for not telling you about this earlier. I'm just afraid to get the feeling of being sympathized for my loss…" She continued stroking the fur of the cat. "The senpai-tachi (upper classmen) tried to help me for countless of times but I really feel sad when I think that it was because of sympathy…"

Ryoma stared at their backyard. "You're giving in to your depression and anybody who knows you would certainly notice it. Besides, they're not only doing all those things because they feel sorry for you. They're only helping you to get going."

Sakuno was surprised. She didn't know exactly that Ryoma would see those kinds of things. Perhaps it was because he knew his senpai-tachi better than her. Or maybe he was trying to do what he said he wanted to do – that there is more to life. He might have wanted to apply it to himself, but he selflessly offered it to her first.

Out of the blue, she remembered the way he treated her. He had become nicer to her for some reason and hoped that it wasn't because he found out exactly what happened to her.

"If it's okay to ask Ryoma-kun…"

"Hmm?"

"You suddenly became nice to me…"

He raised a brow. "I know that I'm always disagreeable with anyone—"

She hurriedly continued, "No, it's not like that… I just wanted to be sure that… you know… you're not sorry for what happened…"

He pushed his hand behind to slightly lean backwards. "I really don't know what to do. Let's just say it's an initial reaction based on experience."

"Eh?"

"Whenever I feel down, they would find ways to cheer me up and move on. They would find a way to distract my thoughts over a particular issue." He looked at her. "I think it felt much better when you know that they're actually supporting you instead of just feeling sorry for you."

She stared at him with sparkling eyes – admiring how his words touched her heart. "You talk like a mature person."

Ryoma pushed his upper body from leaning back to gave her a lazy stare. "At least someone finally appreciates that I'm not cocky anymore."

Sakuno suddenly chuckled. "Well you still are."

Ryoma closed his eyes and shook his head – smiling at her humor. It was unbelievable that someone like her would tease him boldly. He was so clueless as to how much this girl knew everything about him. Her soft giggles finally stopped; her hand had stopped stroking Karupin's fur.

"I'll be honest with you," She started. "I really want to thank you for everything Ryoma-kun."

He glanced at her and suddenly felt nervous when he stared at how serious her eyes were. He instantly diverted his eyes to the backyard. "It's nothing."

Sakuno glanced at him once more before she resumed caressing Karupin. _I feel much better when Ryoma-kun is around. I can't thank him further…_

Karupin's soft fur in contact with her palm had an instant effect on her. The late night atmosphere seemingly lifted the heavy burden she had on shoulders effortlessly with each breeze. With eyes finally drooping to a close and a hand still stroking the cat's fur, Sakuno finally decided to call it a day.

-----------------------------------------

Ryoma had never felt so good about himself; it was only when he allowed himself to share some peaceful time with the last person he thought he wouldn't comprehend. It was actually even better when she finally thanked him, a lot of times actually, for all the things he did for her, which wasn't really new since after all, he had a lot of things done for her in the first place.

However, this time is different. She may have kept the issue from him, but he tried hard to understand her. It wasn't because she didn't want him to help her, but it was because she was afraid of being pitied by him. After the conversation they had, he felt proud of himself and a new found confidence building up inside him. He honestly told her what he felt for her situation. He was grateful to his senpai-tachi for teaching what a person had to do in a particular trouble; he just wondered why they didn't teach it to Sakuno before he came.

He was quite surprised to himself that he had came up to this point. It felt strange to do all sorts of things for one girl – and for her particularly. He wondered how it all started. He wondered if he only noticed it now or if this feeling was ever present previously. He wondered—

A soft thud on his shoulder abruptly paused his thinking. The continuous rise and fall of breathing was so close to his ear. The immediate scent of vanilla occupied his nose, sending an alarm through his nervous system.

Slowly, Ryoma turned his head towards the girl who had fallen asleep on his shoulder. Her left hand lay on the floor and the other on top of his cat, Karupin. He observed her face as she slept.

_It's been a long day for her._

He found himself smiling knowingly, realizing how all the events must have tired her poor body and mind. Even though she tried to act strong, it was quite obvious that she needed somebody to look after her.

"Meow…"

Ryoma watched his cat move atop Sakuno's lap. It yawned and looked at its master. He put a single finger in front of his lips as though telling his cat to be quiet.

"Let's take her to her room, Karupin."

"Meow."

Ryoma smiled.

-----------------------------------------

Morning came as Sakuno blinked her eyes open to welcome another day. She found herself in a room she wasn't totally familiar with. In haste, she sat up and looked at her surroundings.

_Oh… this is the guestroom of Ryoma-kun's house…_

And then her eyes widened.

_Oh no! I fell asleep last night!_ She pulled out the sheet and looked around the room. _I remember talking to Ryoma-kun last night… and… Oh no… He carried me to this room._

Her face slowly colored.

_Ryoma-kun…_

"Sakuno-chan! Ryoma-kun! Breakfast is ready! It's Monday today, so hurry up!" Nanako called from the first floor.

"Ha-hai!"

Sakuno took her school uniform and ran towards the bathroom.

-----------------------------------------

Sakuno and Nanjiroh were already sitting at the dining table while Rinko and Nanako were preparing breakfast. Sakuno offered to help a little while ago but Nanako told her that she was a guest. Nanjiroh kept his magazine inside the newspaper while giving Sakuno a positive expression.

"Why is Ryoma-san taking so long?" Nanako asked Rinko. "I've called for him ten minutes ago."

Sakuno blamed herself for Ryoma's lateness. She thought that maybe he had slept late because he carried her to her bed and even took care of her while she was asleep. Without a second thought, Sakuno announced that she'll wake him up.

"Ahh! Sakuno-chan…" Nanako was about to stop her but the persistent guest had leapt to the stairs. "She didn't have to do that though…"

Nanjiroh's watchful eyes went towards the stairs, catching a glimpse of Sakuno's feet. "Young love, young love…"

-----------------------------------------

Karupin watched his master sleep soundly on his bed. The cat stared innocently at the clock that Ryoma had slapped ten minutes ago. Looking back at the subject, Ryoma had a pillow covering his head, probably trying to block out Nanako's call from the dining room earlier. Karupin sat atop of his master's body and listened to his snoozing sounds.

"Ryoma-kun?" A sweet voice from the other side of the door accompanying with rhythmic knocks were heard from Ryoma's room.

"Meooow…" Karupin tried to coax his master into waking up.

"Ryoma-kun, please get up. We'll be late for school."

"Meoooow!!"

"Eh? Ryoma's cat is inside the room…" Karupin heard the sweet girl say. "Please make Ryoma-kun get up." She told the cat.

As if understanding the request, Karupin rose from his position and crawled towards his master's face.

"MEEEOOOOW!"

Ryoma's brows furrowed upon hearing a loud morning cat call from his pet. He blinked his eyes and realized that he had a pillow atop the side of his head.

_What time is it?_

He pulled away his pillow to reach the clock on his headboard only to find nothing to reach. Sighing, he sat up from his bed.

"Ryoma-kun?"

He froze.

"Ohayou Ryoma-kun."

He realized that he was staring face to face with Sakuno in her school uniform, missing a pair of pigtails.

"Ah… Nn."

He felt embarrassed at his state. It was the first time that someone of the opposite gender – excluding his mother and Nanako – came into his room to find him in his sleeping trousers, and also because Sakuno had seen his morning condition, which included messy hair and a messy bed from last night's sleep trashing.

Feeling the same embarrassment after realizing that the boy had been staring at her with unmistakable surprise, Sakuno quickly turned around. "Well, I… I thought I was the reason why you weren't up yet…"

He pursed his lips. "Not your fault."

She bit her lower lip as she continued. "Breakfast is ready downstairs. You should get ready for school." With a nod, she hastily grabbed the door and dashed outside.

"What a great way to start my morning."

"Meoooowww…"

_To be continued…_

**Author's Note: **Well I hope you're not expecting kissing scenes of some sort because its way OOOUUUT of the plot if that happens in this chapter but the least I could hope is your satisfaction and comprehension for their 'developing feelings'. Hehehe! See you next chapter!

And also, I wanted to thank my wonderful beta-reader. She was really great at editing. Thank you so much Lizzie (hugs)!! Another thing is, she finally finished her POT fanfiction story "Do you like blue?" So please go visit her profile :D


	7. Hearts Softening

**Return Ace**

**Author**: _Ayane Selznick_

**Beta**: _fantasize.dream_

-----------------------------------------

**VII. Hearts Softening**

-----------------------------------------

"Eh? Why is Sakuno-chan doing in your house?"

The person who had been posed a question glanced at the subject, then followed with a sigh.

"Something came up with the coach and then we all agreed to let Ryuuzaki stay here." Ryoma started walking out of the gate.

Momo was still curious about the situation that Ryoma and Sakuno were in. He just hoped that nothing serious happened to their previous coach. Still on his bike, Momo tried to follow his kouhai (lower classman) with Sakuno trailing behind.

"Why? What happened to Ryuuzaki-sensei?"

Sakuno felt Momo's concern for her grandmother, but it made her speculate more when Ryoma tried avoiding the issue. She told herself that if Ryoma didn't say a word until they got two blocks away from the campus, she would tell Momo. Then again, Momo was no fool. He knew that Ryoma would not say anything, seeing as this could be a chance to get back at his senpai-tachi (upper classmen) – keeping important issues. Feeling exasperated due to the failure of several attempts to dig out the truth, he gave up and decided to ask the person who surely didn't have anything to hold back.

Stopping in his tracks, the senpai turned to look at his female kouhai. "Sakuno-chan, what happened?"

Ryoma stopped walking.

Sakuno knew all her senpai-tachi's hardships and help after that incident. They all took the role of older brothers with utmost consideration. They would find out what was wrong with her and tried finding ways to help her. Immensely grateful, she could not bear to keep any matter from her senpai-tachi.

"Obaa-chan (grandmother) is in the hospital." She heard his sharp gasp. "She was attacked by someone she didn't know."

"Damn it."

Sakuno continued. "Obaa-chan asked Echizen-san to take care of me until the situation is safe."

"Was it the same man we saw last time?" He turned to look at Ryoma.

The freshman raised his head a little and then nodded.

"He doesn't quit huh? He really doesn't."

Sakuno noticed the knitted eyebrows of her senpai; she knew that Momo might come up with something unexpected if they stayed long, so she quickly told the boys that they were going to be late for school. What she didn't know, however, was that Ryoma was pacing faster than the rest of them.

_This is unfair._

He thought that this issue was to be kept within _his_ family only.

-----------------------------------------

Nobody in their classroom knew what had happened, but they were starting to discern that something was strange between her and Ryoma. At lunch break, Ryoma had whispered to Sakuno where they were going to meet. Some of their female classmates wanted to find out what they were up to, but the couple immediately disappeared before the fan girls could even reach the door of their classroom. Other freshmen saw them together walking upstairs but were still clueless about where they headed.

During their P.E. period, while Sakuno was asked to run an errand at the infirmary, and Ryoma made an excuse to leave. But as soon as he was out of their range, he started following Sakuno. Once Sakuno noticed him following, she asked him if he was also going to the infirmary. Ryoma practically fretted, finding an excuse for trailing.

"I forgot something in the classroom…"

"Ohh… I see."

Fortunately, their classroom was on the same floor as the infirmary. He told Sakuno to go inside. When the girl got into the infirmary, a familiar voice shocked him.

"Echizen."

He gulped. "Oishi… senpai."

"You look pale. What happened?"

"I'm fine. I was heading to my classroom."

"Oh really?" He looked at the hallway where Ryoma's classroom was, then back at his kouhai. "P.E. classes?"

Ryoma nodded once and before his senpai could utter anything, he instantly took his leave. Unbeknownst to him, the said senpai had already read his mind the moment he was caught.

_I never knew that Echizen could be this protective._

Oishi looked over his shoulder to see Sakuno talking to the school nurse, then left.

-----------------------------------------

Strange dealings occurred in the succeeding days.

Nanako was on her way to do the grocery in the afternoon, and Sakuno decided to tag along. The little girl only wanted to help Nanako because Nanjiroh was no where in the house to help his niece with the groceries. Sakuno was certain that Ryoma was exhausted from his club practice, which led to Nanako crossing him out.

"It's okay Sakuno-chan, I can handle it." Nanako beamed at the kind girl. The teenagers just arrived home, and she would never do such a thing to tire out her lithe body. "I used to do grocery all by myself."

"But—"

Nanako pushed Sakuno back into the hallway. "Auntie's not yet home, so why don't you stay with Ryoma-san for a while?"

It was at that moment when Sakuno fully understood the situation. She forgot that Nanjiroh would stay at the temple until before dark. Rinko would arrive before dinner. Now that Nanako will be going out for groceries, Ryoma and she would be the only beings in the house.

"See you later, Sakuno-chan!"

Nanako hastily left, thinking that she had to hurry so she could prepare dinner.

Sakuno sighed as she turned around at the doorway.

_What do I do now?_

While making a mental list of what chores she should start with, she remembered her worn clothes. She had been staying at the Echizens for two days already, so she must do her laundry. Sakuno climbed the stairs then went straight to her room to get her clothes. The eagerness to start her small household chore rendered her to forget that Ryoma was also in the house. She pulled all her worn clothes out of her bag then piled it up on her arms.

After gathering her garments, Sakuno walked briskly to the small hallway. She was already stepping for the stairway when—

"What are you doing?"

The jerk of her shoulder proved how surprised she was when he spoke. It also caused her to loosen her hold on her bundle of worn clothes. With a squeak, Sakuno watch her pile of garments plummet to the floor. Ryoma on the other hand had raised an eyebrow. However, despite such a cold façade, the young Echizen felt guilty for startling her.

"Mou…" Sakuno crouched down to pick up her garments.

She didn't want him to find out that she was carrying her worn clothes; it was so embarrassing. Not because she was planning to do it by herself, but because there were undergarments in that pile. What she didn't know was Ryoma was just too naïve; he did whatever that came to mind.

On the other hand, since Ryoma wasn't used to simply saying sorry for what he just did – startling the hell out of her – he decided to just help her.

He crouched down beside her and was about to reach for a small pink colored triangular fabric, when Sakuno snatched it from beneath his hand with a speed he didn't know she possessed. With furrowed brows and a little pout, Ryoma stared at Sakuno and thought how impolite her action was.

"I-it's okay Ryoma-kun. You don't have to…" Her face was already colored in an alarming shade of red.

Just as Sakuno continued hastily picking up her clothes, Ryoma stood nonchalantly, albeit with a bruised ego (because a particular girl just learned to refuse his help), then walked past her and down the stairway. He got curious as to why she suddenly declined his offer to help. He thought that he might have done wrong or something. Ryoma was at the last step of the stairway when he noticed a pair of cup-like fabric lying innocently at the floor. He picked it up carefully for close inspection.

"Oi, Ryuuzaki."

She looked at him.

"Is this yours?"

She never knew which one was more embarrassing: the look on her face or the fact that Ryoma was holding her bra.

-----------------------------------------

There was also a time when Karupin disappeared for the umpteenth time with Ryoma frantically searching for him.

The Himalayan cat went missing after dinner, and Ryoma had no idea why his pet suddenly ran away. Nonetheless, the young Echizen slipped out of the house, unaware that Sakuno was trailing behind.

Ryoma tried looking at the places where he would usually find Karupin. "Karupin!! Karupin!!"

Sakuno felt that Ryoma must really love his pet – considering the cat had been Ryoma's playmate since his childhood days. She rarely saw Ryoma losing his cool like this. The way he called his pet was full of anxiety and love. She wondered if he would use such a tone when she was gone—

"Karupin!!"

Sakuno was brought back to her senses when Ryoma yelled. She felt quite guilty, daydreaming about him being concerned about her welfare instead of helping him. Besides, shouldn't she be thankful that he had agreed to let her stay in his house with his family? They've had so many moments spent together, thus it was wrong to want more.

Or was it?

Shaking her head, Sakuno focused on task at hand when—

"Meow…"

"Eh?"

Sakuno fell silent, trying to verify what she had just heard. She tried searching in the direction of the sound without uttering anything.

"Meeeoww…"

She walked towards the source of the noise. "Ryoma-kun! Over here!"

Ryoma was quite surprised when he heard her voice but before he could ask questions, Sakuno waved her hand - telling him to come closer. He quickly marched towards her with thoughts like: 'why is she here?' and 'we've been telling her not to come out at night even if I'm with her.' Sakuno was unaware of Ryoma's expression; she cared only about verifying the source of the noise she had been hearing.

Ryoma stopped a distance from her. "What is it—?"

"Shh…" Sakuno put a finger on her lips while the other hand pointed at the bushes.

Ryoma could only follow her little finger pointing at the location. With squinted eyes, Ryoma tried to hear whatever Sakuno was telling him to listen to.

"Meoooww…"

He froze.

He ran over the bushes and there saw his spoiled Himalayan cat playing with a stray cat. Ryoma looked at the two cats observing one another before they started playing with the ball that he bought for Karupin. Sakuno quietly followed behind with a small smile on her face.

"Looks like Karupin found a friend."

Ryoma blinked, then started walking towards his pet. "Maybe he's too fed up with oyaji (old man, dad)."

Sakuno noticed the sadness on his tone that she couldn't help but mention it out loud. "Ryoma-kun seemed sad about it."

He took a sharp intake of breath before he looked over his shoulder just so he could glare at her and defend his emotional barrier.

"I do not."

She simply smiled at him then crouched at the ground – calling to his pet. Karupin's big eyes stared widely at her before it started walking towards her waiting hands. Ryoma took this chance to verbally ask about her very presence.

"Why did you follow me?"

Should she tell him how much worried she was when he suddenly flew away from home in search for his cat? Or the fact that he suddenly lost his cool when he found out that his cat went missing? In all means, Sakuno couldn't tell if this is her chance to tell him how much she cared for him. But during this particular circumstance, would she dare ruin that trust and time she spent under his care and protection? They might get awkward to each other once she spill out what her heart really wants to say.

She didn't turn around when she spoke. "I… I just wanted to help you find Karupin."

In Ryoma's understanding, Sakuno thought that he's helpless in finding his own pet. He couldn't help but frown and get somewhat infuriating at her. But on a second thought, she meant no harm in her words and actions – because she simply wanted to help. Nevertheless, Ryoma thought he should make a plausible excuse to turn tables on her.

"You should have thought that it isn't wise to follow me around at night. Nobody knows when that man might come."

Sakuno noticed the frustration in his voice. She wasn't sure what he wanted her to understand, but what she only got was - he's probably surprised to know that she followed him in search for his pet – which doubles his anxiety. This meant that he was actually showing some emotion aside from his cold and arrogant demeanor. She faced him with a small smile with a cuddling pet in her arms.

"But Ryoma-kun was so worried when Karupin ran away."

He choked and looked away.

"That doesn't make any sense." He awkwardly looked back at her then walked past her. "Let's go."

Sakuno just smiled brightly.

-----------------------------------------

One morning, Sakuno had taken the liberty to use the only bathroom in the house. It was school day and she thought of starting a day looking and feeling fresh. While taking time in her morning rituals, Sakuno couldn't suppress thinking about the welfare of her grandmother. She knew that she must have left the hospital by now and thought of visiting her at home but knowing her grandmother – she wouldn't probably let her, well, unless Ryoma's with her.

_Ryoma-kun…_

He had taken good care of her – just as his father had promised to her grandmother. As the day goes by with them living in one roof together, she was beginning to know everything about him. She just hoped that even after this event, he would stay the same.

"Itai! (ouch) Soap in the eye!"

Sakuno tried to feel the faucet of the shower.

-----------------------------------------

Ryoma opened his eyes lazily. He stared at the familiar four corners of his territory then yawned loudly. Then he fixed his eyes landed on a lump behind lower torso. Slowly, he pulled up the blanket to make sure that it was his pet – which was sleeping so soundly.

"You really ought to exercise, Karupin." Ryoma muttered while he petted Karupin's head.

When the young Echizen got out from his bed, he stretched his arms upwards while yawning. He really wanted to get back to bed but morning activities in Tennis club prohibited him to do so. Besides, Tezuka-buchou has been tolerating his tardiness. He was running out of excuses as of late, and if the need ever arose, he would use Sakuno as one.

He shook his head. _Whatever. I'm up already._ He glared at nothing in particular before he turned around to check his clock. 7, _huh?_

Ryoma decided to take things slowly since he had the time today. He dragged his feet to his new trousers and towel which hung from his closet. He put out his uniform and laid it on top of his chair.

_Maybe I should get there before Momo-senpai does. _

Ryoma smirked.

_At least for the record._

He realized that he was already trudging his way towards the bathroom, after thinking of several ways just to make his senpai (upperclassman) pay for his meal this afternoon. It was only occasionally that Momo-senpai paid for his meal, and so Ryoma thought that senpais like him should treat him about now.

_I'm so sorry Momo-senpai, but this isn't going to be your day._

Determined to destroy a senpai's day, Ryoma's smug smile was plastered all over his face when he slid open the door of their bathroom only to realize that—

A certain mahogany-colored hair young lady—

He gulped.

Clad only in her red and white towel—

Their eyes met.

Standing in front of him—

With a very red color splashed all over her face.

He broke out of his dreamy state when that certain goddess suddenly shrieked, an earsplitting cry.

-----------------------------------------

That very same morning after hearing his father's wholehearted laughter during breakfast, Ryoma and Sakuno announced their departure with much awkwardness. Sakuno's hand imprint on Ryoma's left cheek was still so visible that he had to put his cap on. She really wanted to apologize for what happened, but Ryoma seemed so shameful for that innocent accident.

_This can't go on the whole day… _Sakuno nodded to herself and then collected herself before she spoke out loud. "Anou, Ryoma-kun…"

He only lowered his cap to conceal the red mark on his cheek. He didn't want to look more embarrassed anymore.

However, Sakuno was persistent despite her bashful layer. Even while she was stuttering, she sought courage to tell him whatever was inside her mind.

"I'm… I'm really sorry about… earlier."

Ryoma still could not look at her. "… You don't have to."

Sakuno stammered. "But I…"

"It was an accident." Out of nowhere, the fragment of that certain period where he saw her in their bathroom appeared in his imagination. He couldn't help but shake his head to erase his growing perverseness – in thoughts. "… I apologize for the intrusion." He said at last.

But the day had only started, and Ryoma had yet to defend, or rather make up excuses, when people find the certain red hand print on his cheek, especially when that certain person had to be Momo-senpai.

"Oi Echizen!" He noticed the mark instantly. "Eh? What happened to your face?"

Seems like it wasn't his day after all.

-----------------------------------------

There was a time when Ryoma could not sleep at night, in which he opted to stay at the open living room with his cat lying ever-so peacefully beside him. The night was cool and everything else was quiet, much to Ryoma's satisfaction.

Somehow his observant side was able to activate outside the tennis courts, when he realized that he was improving in socializing aspect. Perhaps the only time he should use his intimidation was during tennis matches and nothing else. He realized that at some point, people preferred words to actions. But if actions were ever delivered, he had to make him or her know what and why he had done it, because not everyone thought the same way he did.

Ryoma thought that Sakuno had taught him something. He seemed to find it funny because the once klutzy young girl had matured first. Nonetheless, he secretly thanked her for that small help and teaching she had unknowingly shared with him.

Unbeknownst to him, Sakuno was looking at him from the hallway near the stairs. She wasn't able to sleep as well but after finding out that Ryoma had taken the spot at the living room and was more likely to enjoy the silence alone, she decided to watch him for a moment.

"You're gaining lots of weight Karupin." The owner said to his cat, who in turned stared widely at him. "You need exercise, you spoiled cat."

Sakuno smiled at him. For a person who rarely talked to people, he sure talked a lot when he was alone with his loving pet. She whispered 'good night' to him before she decided to climb upstairs.

Karupin turned its head to the hallway and alerted its owner about the other's presence. "Meoooowww!"

Ryoma raised a brow at his pet before he followed his cat's gaze. Even in darkness, Ryoma could spot signature details of any person he knew.

"Can't sleep again?"

Sakuno gulped; she was already caught, but it wasn't like her to go on without looking back at Ryoma.

"Uhm… yeah…" She turned around and walked towards the spot where a little illumination would aid Ryoma in seeing her.

_How long had she been there? _Ryoma asked, feeling rather bashful of the fact that he's talking to his cat. He nervously returned to his position where his back was now facing her.

Sakuno noticed his uneasiness which made her heart sink. _Maybe he really doesn't want me around this time…_

"Anou (well)…" She started without looking at him. "I'm on my way to my room anyway… so…"

"You can stay." His words surprised the both of them, but he easily recovered. "Just kill some time until you feel sleepy."

Sakuno felt so happy at his invitation. "Hai (okay)."

She walked towards the spot where he sat until the ever-so intelligent cat decided to rise from its position and decided to give his master and his guest time alone. Sakuno was about to stop Karupin, but Ryoma said that it was probably heading towards his room to get its much-awaited sleep. Sakuno giggled at that before she settled herself with a considerable distance from Ryoma.

Silence had been their company for a couple of minutes, which made Sakuno think that sitting next to him was not a good idea after all. Up till now, she hoped that somehow Ryoma would occasionally open up to her. She knew that he only saw her as a friend, but it wouldn't hurt him if he told her something about himself or just anything that came up in his mind. But contradicting her negative feelings, she knew that Ryoma loved silence – he loved serenity and only selected people were given the opportunity to share this silence with him. Fortunately, it was her.

"This is like the first night I came here, isn't it?" She said in a low, soft voice.

He looked at her from the corner of his eyes. "Has it been that long?"

She smiled - glad that he was willing to have a conversation. "It's been almost a month." She let her legs sway after feeling a little numb from its previous position. _And even though it's been that long, I can't get over the feeling of shyness. _She added as an afterthought. "Though… I wonder what could have happened to me if I wasn't here…"

_You would most likely develop an extreme paranoia. _Ryoma would have stated his opinion but held it in – thinking that she would find this offending once he blurted it out loud. And knowing her for quite a while, Sakuno should be approached in a gentle manner. "Senpai-tachi (upperclassmen) would get worried even more. Furthermore, that man's still lurking around. Your life is still at risk. We can't afford to throw away your safety."

His words touched her heart. Normally, his words sounded like alt added to an injury. Tonight was different, and she found his words as something she would etch in her memory.

"That's why I'm glad that you and your family let me in." She smiled softly. "Not only did I feel safe, but I also enjoyed staying here." Ryoma noticed the longing in her eyes when he glanced at her. "I normally live with obaa-chan (grandma) because my parents are always away. I never felt the fun of having so many people at home."

He didn't say anything, but he understood what she meant, only that his case was different. He had been accustomed to live with so many people at home; his relatives sometimes gathered at their home for a week, but he still felt lonely. People would only see him as a Tennis genius and a hopeless case in socializing. They would admire his cuteness, then his father would sometimes humiliate him, but nothing more. Besides, people thought he had never spent a moment to think of them – they thought he never cared.

"Above all…" He was surprised when she spoke. "I've gotten to know you." Her cheeks burned. "There are good things that people didn't see in you."

Ryoma stared at her. _Just what are those things she knew?_ For sure, only a few had read his attitude like an open book, but to actually hear such things from her – a person he rarely showed his true self to – was just surprising.

He quickly masked his reaction. "I'm mischievous alright."

Sakuno turned her head to him. "You're only saying that, Ryoma-kun." She noticed his narrowed eyes. "I know you're a kind person. You would stand up for your friends even if it means to stand against a senpai (upperclassman)."

Ryoma lazily brought his left hand on his knee to support his chin. "Not really."

Sakuno thought that Ryoma was convinced. "Pe-people usually say that you're arrogant and distant," she noticed his brow twitching, "but in fact, you're hesitating every time people gather around you."

"…"

This time, Sakuno was nervous. "A-and… you-you usually use your Tennis tactics in real life that you find difficulty in… gaining the… upper hand of the situation…" Her last statement became a whisper the moment Ryoma glared back at her.

"I don't do that." He continuously denied. _But if you're so up to this challenge… _"If you think I have my flaws, then what about you? Why do you act like you're okay when you really aren't? Ryuuzaki is a bad liar."

Sakuno blinked.

"You can't even keep secrets from senpai-tachi (upperclassmen)."

"Ryoma-kun was the one who wanted to keep this situation from senpai-tachi. I really don't see why we have to keep this a secret."

Ryoma could only glare at her, then start murmuring incoherent statements under his breath. Sakuno found this so funny that she started giggling.

_It is not only admiration that I feel for Ryoma-kun…_ She was still giggling. _It wasn't because of his tennis skills at all. _Her soft chuckles faded when she stared at the sky. _Ryoma-kun has a wonderful heart._

When Sakuno looked up at the sky, Ryoma turned to his side then clutched the shirt near his chest.

His heart was surprisingly beating fast.

_To be continued…_

**Author's Note**: Hehee… I know it's been a month and this is the only chapter I've made (a filler chapter, too). I've been busy preparing for cosplay and since I'm done with one, there are two more! XD Anyway this chapter not only serves as filler chappie but a little proof that somehow Ryoma and Sakuno have looked at each other. So, will I see you in the next chapter? Hopefully!


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